Lost and Found: A Percy Jackson Chaos Fanfic
by dauntless912
Summary: The war with Gaea has ended, and Percy can finally enjoy his life in camp. But when Eric, son of Zeus, comes in and destroys Percy's life, the hero of Olympus tries to commit suicide, only to be saved by Chaos. When he has to go back, this time as the second most powerful being in the universe, will he be able to keep his identity safe? Pertemis. Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! So... I've been reading Chaos fanfics and I loved them all so much I decided I wanted to try one. Thanks in advance for reading! If you have any ideas, please tell me! I am 100% sure I'm going to have a block soon. Thanks, enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own PJO or its characters, I'm not Rick... **

1 week after the giant war

Percy POV

I breathe in the warm summer air as I head over to Zeus's fist. I try to brush my uncontrollable hair with my fingers, suddenly feeling nervous. I check my watch. Three Twelve. Annabeth asked me to meet me there at four thirty, but I decided to get there early to wait. I check my breath for about the two hundredth time. I'm not sure why I'm so nervous. After all, I've gone out on dates with Annabeth before. I just have a weird feeling about this one. Like…this date's going to change everything. I reach the big stone mound and lean on it. I just stare at the sky, when a slight noise surprises me. I look around. The noise comes from the other side of the mound. Careful not to make a sound, I slowly walk around Zeus's fist. I roll my eyes at what I see. Two campers are making out fiercely. The girl is blonde, probably an Aphrodite girl. I recognize the boy. Eric, the upstart son of Zeus who came a month ago. He has dark brown hair and almost black eyes. He would have been decent-looking if not for his broken nose and his mismatched eyes. Although that doesn't stop him from being a world-class idiot. He thinks he should be worshipped. As I said, world-class idiot. Anyways, I'm just about to turn away when I hear the four words that break my heart.

"I love you, Annabeth…" Eric's irritating voice says. I whip around. They don't notice me, and Annabeth replies… breaking my heart even more.

"I love you too" And they continue their make-out session. Finally, I can't take it. I let my rage, hurt, and betrayal take over. I hear a roar in my ears, and soon I realize that the roar is the mass of water I summoned out of nowhere. Annabeth and Eric break away, surprised. Annabeth sees me and pales. She reaches out, trying to get to me through the wall of water around me.

"Percy, I-" At her words, I get even angrier, and the water swirls faster and faster, just waiting to be unleashed.

"Don't. Just…don't, Annabeth. I… I just can't believe you did this to me… after all I've done for you… How could you cheat on me? Have a nice life without me. But I swear I'll get my revenge." I yell through the roar of water. I flick my hand and the wall of water comes crashing down. I turn and run away, tears flowing freely, not noticing the eight eyeballs staring at me.

Artemis POV

I flash in the Olympus throne room and look around. Most of the Olympians are already here. I sit at my throne and start arguing with my brother. He is just so stupid! Typical for a _boy_. Finally, the rest of the Olympians arrive, and my father starts the meeting.

"I am sorry to have called you at such a short notice, but it is time for our annual visit on Camp Half-Blood. We will be leaving… right away." And before any of us can say anything, he snaps his fingers, and we are all teleported to the Big House. I roll my eyes. _Drama Queen._ Athena asks the question on everyone's mind.

"Um, father, what annual visit?" Zeus answers immediately.

"Oh, yes, I forgot to tell you! Well, it has been decided that, every year, we gods will visit our children to check up on their training, their lives… etc." I raise an eyebrow. Father's never really cared much about this camp. But who are we to ask questions? I shrug, along with a few others.

"Anyway… you're all free to go wherever in this camp for the whole day. Now, goodbye!" Zeus says, and flashes away to Chaos knows where. Since I don't have any children, I call my hunters and tell them to come here. Meanwhile, I decide to go to the archery range with my brother for an archery competition. Apollo has kids, but he figured they would all be at the archery range anyway. As we head there, we see Hermes get tackled by his twin sons, Travis and Connor. Aphrodite is giving her kids tips on make-up appliance. Demeter is helping her children plant strawberries. My brother and I reach the archery range and start shooting when Aphrodite comes in out of nowhere, followed by a confused Hermes. She looks excited about something.

"Apollo! Artemis! Follow me! Quickly!" She yells at us. We stay rooted to the spot. Aphrodite rolls her eyes and grabs our arms, dragging us towards Zeus's fist. Hermes follows, still looking quite confused. As we near my father's fist, we hear a gigantic roar. Aphrodite's face changes to excitement to horror.

"Oh, no!" She whispers, and I ask her what's wrong. She doesn't seem to hear me and continues to drag us. Finally, we stop. I open my mouth, but she gestures at me to be quiet. She looks extremely worried. I really start to wonder what has her like this, when I see it. In front of me, maybe a dozen meters away, two figures, one girl and one boy, cower under a lone figure. My eyes widen when I recognize him. Perseus Jackson. He is surrounded by a wild wall of water, and yet when he speaks, I can hear every word clearly. He seems to be crying.

"Don't. Just…don't, Annabeth. I… I just can't believe you did this to me… after all I've done for you… How could you cheat on me? Have a nice life without me. But I swear I'll get my revenge." My jaw hits the ground. I glance around and find a similar reaction on Apollo and Hermes' faces. Aphrodite, on the other hand, is crying. _What? _I think. _Why would Aphrodite be crying because Perseus and Annabeth… Oh. _Aphrodite was always talking about those two, claiming they were the couple of the century, even better than Paris and Helen. And now… Annabeth had apparently cheated on Perseus. I look at the other boy; the one Annabeth left Percy for. I recognize him as my father's son. He has ugly mismatched eyes and a broken nose; I don't see what makes him better than Percy. I cannot believe Annabeth left Perseus, an honorable, loyal, kind boy… no, man, for… _that._ I watch in shock as Percy unleashes the water at Annabeth and… Eric, was it? And runs away, crying. Aphrodite faints. Apollo and Hermes manage to catch her. I snap out of my shock and wake Aphrodite. She is pale and looks like her kid just died. Although I knew she "shipped" Perseus and Annabeth, I didn't think she cared about them this much. She manages to explain why she dragged us here.

"I… I was talking with my kids when I felt this huge wave of emotion somewhere in the forest. I… knew it was Perseus, but… I mistook it for love. T-turns out it was… quite the contrary." She stands up, fans her face a little, and runs back towards the cabins, obviously looking for Perseus. Hermes sighs and catches up, and so do we. Chiron sees us and a look of surprise crosses his face. We must have been quite a strange sight. Two gods and two goddesses, running was hard as we could towards the Poseidon cabin, one with red eyes and the others with strained looks. We don't give him a second look and rush into the Poseidon cabin. No one. Apollo sniffs a little.

"Maybe he's somewhere else." No one really believes him. There isn't a trace that Percy has been in the cabin. Except that all the pictures of him and Annabeth are ripped up. And there is a little piece of paper on a bunk bed. Apollo picks it up and reads it. One word.

_Goodbye._

Percy's POV

I rush into my cabin, pack all my things into a bag, and rip all the pictures of me and Annabeth. I hate her. I _hate _her. How could she do this to me? After I literally went to Hell for her. I take out the little box in my pocket and open it. In it, as if nothing ever happened, is the gold and ruby ring I had Hephaestus specially make. For someone who doesn't even love me. I wipe the tears from my face, grab the bag, and run out of the cabin. A few campers look at me curiously, but I don't look at them. I don't look at anything. Once I get to the beach, I jump in the water, willing my bag to remain dry. I swim furiously until I reach a small island. I don't recognize it; I don't care. I throw my bag away, since the only real reason I brought it was so that I could have a piece of home with me until… until I stopped living. All I need is my sword. I take out the pen and uncap it. I stare at my sword. The sword that killed so many monsters, so many enemies… and now it was going to kill me. I take a deep breath and look out to the seas.

"Goodbye, dad, mom, Thalia, Nico, Grover, Chiron, Travis, Connor, Jason, Leo, Frank, Hazel, Piper, Blackjack… I'm sorry." I whisper, and touch Riptide's point to my chest. I take a deep breath. I'm about to end my life when something knocks my sword out of my hands. I angrily whip my head around, looking for the person who interrupted me. My eyes widen. Standing in front of me is a tall, intimidating figure, whose skin is pitch black and decorated (?) with galaxies and planets and stars. His eyes seem to change color every second, from black to blue to gold. I stare. The man smiles.

"Hello, Perseus Jackson. I wish we weren't meeting at such an… inconvenient time."

I gulp. Who is he? I have a feeling I should know. "Who are you?" I try to sound both respectful and hostile. I fail miserably. He chuckles.

"I apologize for scaring you. Although I am a little disappointed you do not know me. I am Chaos." I gawk and realize this is the most powerful man ever. I bow hastily.

"I- I'm sorry, my Lord. I didn't know…" Surprisingly, he rolls his eyes a little and gestures at me to stand up. So I do.

"That is quite all right, Percy. And please… do not call me lord. It's embarrassing." He notices the look on my face and continues. "You must be wondering why I am here. The answer, my boy, is that I have been watching you for quite a while now… and I would like you to join my army."

I am at loss for words, which isn't uncommon, but still. The freaking LORD OF THE UNIVERSE wants me to join his ARMY? I realize he must be waiting for an answer, and mumble "Uh… you… you want me to join your… your army?" He nods.

"Was that not what I said? So, do you accept?"

I think about it. Army of Chaos… I think I'll prefer that to death. I nod.

"Yes, sir… I do."


	2. Chapter 2

**You all know I don't own PJO or HOO. Please review, hope you like it!**

**Percy POV**

Chaos opens a black portal, gesturing me to go through. Gulping, I step in, instantly feeling sick. One millisecond later, I find myself on all fours, trying not to throw up. I feel a pat on my shoulder. I look up and see Chaos smiling sympathetically at me.

"Don't worry. After one or two more portals, you'll get used to it."

I groan, getting up. I gasp at what I see. In front of me is a gigantic palace, one so majestic it makes Olympus look like a cave. Yeah, I know. Not a very good comparison. But right now, I'm just kind of busy gawking. _Annabeth would have loved it_. I mentally slap myself at that. _Don't think about her. _I shake my head and follow Chaos up the steps. I marvel at everything. Chaos leads me through hundreds of corridors and hallways. _Left, left, right, left, left, left, right, right…_ I wonder how he finds his way around here. Then again, he's probably lived here for a really, really, really long time. Finally, we stop in front of two gigantic doors, decorated with all kinds of stones. Chaos push them open easily, although they seem really heavy to me. Once inside, I gasp yet again. The whole room is bright and beautifully decorated with statues, stones, fountains…etc. In the center of the room are six thrones, all of them different. Once of the two center ones and the biggest is obviously Chaos's. Like his skin, the throne is pitch black, with constantly moving galaxies and planets and stars. Right above where the person's head would be, there was a large black star diopside engraved in the throne. (A black gemstone that reflects a star shine.) Right next to it is a plain gold throne, decorated by nothing at all. The other four thrones are all the same size. One, on the other side of Chaos's, is fiery red, and seems to be aflame. It radiates heat, and at the top of the throne, a fire opal is embedded. I step back from that one, for as a son of Poseidon, I don't like fire that much. Next to the fire throne is a white and sky blue throne with wind designs. Around the throne, wind seems to blow every second. The gemstone embedded is a white moonstone. On the other side, next to the plain throne, is a throne I admire. It is colored in different shades of blue, and waves seem to roll on it. At the head of the throne lies a beautiful blue opal. I smile at it, before inspecting the next one. It is a gentle brown color, and I feel as if I touched it, it would be moist and cool, like earth. A big smoky quartz is embedded in the throne.

As I look around, I realize that there are smaller thrones on either side, all of them a different design, but none with gems as big as the six main thrones.

"Percy!" Chaos says. I look at him. He gestures at me to come closer.

"I've called the Elemental Council. They'll be here in a few minutes."

Confused, I ask "What's the Elemental Council?"

"The council is made of the sixteen commanders in my army. Each of them holds a different element, much like your gods. But my commanders have a more powerful hold over their element. Each commander holds a different sector of my army. Four of them, called the Guardians, control the four 'main' elements: fire, water, air, and earth. They each hold four of the five elite forces. You know what? I'll just let them explain. I get mixed up every time. Let's just wait until they get here." Chaos rambles. I nod nervously. I wonder what these commanders look like. They must be powerful, if they're the ones who command Chaos's army. But there's something bothering me. After a few seconds of hesitating, I decide to ask. After all, what do I have to lose?

"Chaos, can I ask you a question?" He smiles, an inside joke kind of smile, and replies.

"You already have, Percy." I frown, trying to figure it out. When I finally do, I roll my eyes a little.

"Uh… I… have a question." He nods, signaling at me to go on.

"When you recruit new soldiers for your army, do you usually introduce them to the commanders? I mean… they're busy enough already without a meeting every new recruit… right?" At that, Chaos chuckles.

"You shall see, young Perseus. You will find out soon." I shrug indifferently. I can wait a little, right? After that, we both stand there, me continuing to admire the room, Chaos checking his watch every few seconds, muttering under his breath. After a minute or two, the doors open and a single figure enters. It's a tall boy, about 18, with sleek sandy hair and bright gray eyes with a few black dots. He bowed quickly to Chaos, looked quizzically at me, and sat down at the throne on the far left, the gray-and-black one with a plain black rock embedded. As he sat, he took out a smooth gray rock and started playing with it, throwing it away from him and willing it back to his hand. I stare at him for a few seconds, before I hear the sound of a door opening. This time, a thin boy with pitch-black hair and pitch-black eyes enters, and I wince a little. He reminds me a lot of Nico. I shake my head. I can't think about them. I made a choice when I agreed to join Chaos. I snap out of my thoughts. One by one, the commanders come in: a girl with long bright, almost white hair, and glowing yellow eyes, a boy with dark green hair and bright green eyes, a girl with silky blonde hair and mesmerizing blue eyes, a girl with windblown short pale hair and pale eyes… They kept on coming, each of them settling in their thrones, striking up conversations. Most were around my age, although there was one small boy, with multicolor hair and bright blue-and-purple eyes, who looked around the age of six. He sat in a throne 4 seats away from the boy with sleek blonde hair. It seemed way too big for him, his legs dangling from the edge of the throne. The throne itself was colorful, decorated with a bunch of beach balls and board games, like snakes and ladders. His stone was a bi-color ametrine, matching the color of his eyes. Finally, everyone was settled in, except for one, the one that would be sitting in the fire throne. A few minutes later, he comes, grinning madly. He's about 17, like me, and he has fiery red hair and orange eyes. He mutters a quick apology at Chaos, flashes me a puzzled look, and jogs over to his seat. Chaos walks over to his throne, standing just in front of it. He gestures at me to join him, and, a little embarrassed at the stares I'm getting, I stand beside him. Once I do, he starts talking.

"Thank you for coming at such short notice, everyone. You're probably wondering why I have summoned you. The answer is standing right beside me." He says, and I sense 16 pairs of eyeballs staring at me intently. I blush a little. Chaos keeps going.

"As you all know, I have been looking for someone to command my army for a long time now, and yet I haven't found one until now. Let me introduce you to your new commander." My eyes widen, and I look at him incredulously. What? I look around, and I can see that the commanders are all as shocked as I am. One of them, a girl with shoulder-length electric blue hair and blue eyes raises her hand.

"Yes?" Chaos calls, nodding at the girl.

"Excuse my interruption, Lord Chaos, but how can you be sure he is the one destined to lead our armies? Could we at least know who he is?"

Chaos acknowledges her words with a nod and turns to me.

"Would you like to introduce yourself?" I glance nervously at the teenagers (and child) in front of me, and open my mouth hesitantly.

"Uh… hi. First of all… I want to say that this is a total surprise for me, too. Chaos- Lord Chaos just asked me if I wanted to join his army, and I said yes. Anyways… I'm Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon. Nice to meet you." Some of them seem to recognize my name. I hear a few whispers. There's an awkward silence. Then, Chaos comes to my rescue.

"Well, now that he's introduced, I would like to place a vote. Most of you have heard of Perseus, haven't you?" I see heads nodding. "For those who do not know, let's just say Perseus here has saved Earth more than once. He is quite capable to be your leader. Now, time for the vote, although I doubt it will change my mind. All in favor for letting Perseus undergo the trial?" The trial? That sounds scary. And painful. Before I can protest, hands come up. Before long, all the hands are up. I'm not sure how to react, so I just smile a little. Chaos, looking delighted, claps his hands.

"Alrighty then! Time for the trial!" He says, and then he hands me… a sword. As far as I can tell, it's just a normal sword. It looks dull, like the throne next to Chaos's. Although… I think I have a fairly good idea of who it's for. I take the sword. For a moment, nothing happens, and I look at Chaos, confused. But before I can get a proper look at his face, an agonizing pain shoots through me, making me yell.

**Mark (Flame) POV**

As Percy takes the sword, we brace ourselves. This has happened before… and it has never ended well. He yells, and a wall of pure energy surrounds him. Although he seems like he's in pain, he doesn't drop the sword, which is glowing green. I widen my eyes in surprise. This has never happened before! In all the cases before him, the person dies, their body and mind not being able to contain the energy. But this time… Percy seemed to be absorbing the energy. Since my throne is directly next to Chaos's, I can feel the energy flowing from him even more than the others. We all wait for it to die down. Some have their hands over their ears, Percy's yell being so loud. I wince a little as the wall of energy expands and touches the corner of my throne. Whistle, the Guardian of air, notices and looks in surprise at me. I know why. I _never _wince. Never. I look at Percy again, this time with respect. Finally, the energy dies down, and Percy slumps on the ground, hand still gripping the sword. There's a collective gasp. The once plain sword of Chaos is now the most majestic one I have ever seen. The blade is a shiny black with a sea-green tint, and the point is silver-gold, gleaming in the light. The cross-guard itself looks deadly, the points of it like a dagger. The grip is sea-green, and looks both soft and hard. The pommel is made of Chaotic diamond, a beautiful milky-white gem that changes color, depending on the owner's mood. Now, it is a dark gray, meaning he is confused.

Percy stands up, looking a little ruffled. I hear a few girls swoon, and I roll my eyes. I can understand why they do, though. His uncontrollable raven hair was longer, sticking out in all directions. His sea-green eyes were a darker sea-green, and there seemed to be light gold-and-silver spots in them. His skin was tanner than before, and his lean figure was more muscled. To add to the look, sprouting from his back were wings, gigantic gleaming black wings that reflected sea-green, gold, and silver. I have to admit they were beautiful. The new leader looks once at his wings and freaks out. Then, he glances at us, obviously having no idea what is going on. Then, Chaos breaks the shocked silence.

"All hail, Perseus Jackson, leader of Chaos's army, second in command of the universe, Guardian of creation." For a few seconds, we stare, shocked. Then, everyone jumps out of their seats and rushes to Percy's side, clapping him on the back, introducing themselves, bombarding him with questions. I grin at him. I have this feeling we're going to be great friends.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks a bunch for the reviews and favorites! It made my day! So here's and update. I don't own PJO or HOO. Duh. **

Time Skip

**Percy POV**

"Percy! Wake up already! Chaos called a meeting! Come on, wake up, you're gonna be late again!" Mark's voice yells from behind the door. I groan, turning my body away from the door. Grumbling a little, I sit up from my bed and rub my eyes. I can tell Mark is waiting for an answer. I snap my fingers and the door opens. A grumpy Mark comes in, dressed in his meeting clothes. He raises an eyebrow at my pajamas and slumps down on a beanbag chair. I change quickly into my meeting clothes and follow my best friend out of my room. As we make our way to the throne room, Alex joins us, and as a greeting, I give him a light punch in the arm.

Ever since I came here and became leader of the Army, Mark, Guardian of fire, and Alex, Guardian of earth, are my best guy friends. Alex has earthy brown hair and hard brown eyes. As for their personalities, they match their domain. Mark, like fire, can be warm and welcoming, but if pushed over the top, he's uncontrollable. Plus, he has very little patience. Nevertheless, he was loyal and my best friend. Alex, also known as Quicksand, was much more calm and controlled, and had lots of patience. But if somebody _really_ annoyed him, he blew up, like an earthquake. Mark came from Magma, a planet made entirely of lava and fire. The inhabitants were all born with fireproof skin, but not with fire powers. When Mark was born and it was discovered that he had such powers, the ruler of Magma had ordered his army to kill him, not wanting anyone in his kingdom to be more powerful than he. Chaos had saved him at the last second and had made him a Guardian. Alex was from Earth, like me, and was a demigod son of Gaea (don't ask me how.) Chaos had saved him just as a horde of monsters was about to kill him and had made him Guardian of Earth. All three of us are inseparable, and we tell each other everything. Although the whole council knows who I really am, Mark, Alex, Jyma, and Sheyla are the only ones, along with Chaos, to know my whole life. Maybe I should explain. The four I just mentioned are the four Guardians, so my closest friends and advisors. Jyma, or Breeze, the Guardian of Air, has long transparent hair and glowing white eyes, along with pale skin. Sheyla, aka Tempest, Guardian of Water, has clear blue hair and deep blue eyes.

Along with them, 12 other commanders form the Council. We all have code names, since we all have a pretty dark past. I go as Genesis now, although the Council and Chaos still call me Percy when no one else is around. It's been 5000 years since I joined. Everyday, I train with my powers and weapons, or go on some mission to save the universe or whatever. I've already mastered most of my powers, but I know there are still lots of powers locked deep inside of me. Training has paid off; I can fight Chaos and win sometimes. Well, that's it for the explanation.

Together, Alex, Mark and I open the doors and walk into the throne room. Luckily, we're not late, but most of the commanders are already here. The only ones missing are Xavier, the one who always stays in kid form and commander of fun and games, Bella, commander of love and beauty, and Shadow, commander of darkness. Everyone else is on their throne, talking and goofing around with each other. I sit on my throne, right next to Chaos's. It's not plain and dull anymore. It changed when I touched Reaper, my main sword. It matches Reaper's design and its gem is Chaotic diamond. Soon, the remaining commanders come in, and we wait for Chaos.

He flashes in soon enough, looks at each of us, settles down on his throne, and starts the meeting.

"I have called you here for a new mission… but some of you will not like it. I can sense trouble brewing on a planet. It won't be for a few years in their time, but they are not ready. Some of you must go to help them prepare for the war that is coming. And I already know who I shall be sending."

**Mark (Flame) POV**

"I already know who I shall be sending."

I lean forwards. War? Mission? Trouble? Sounds good. Chaos continues.

"Percy, you will be going on this mission, along with your soldiers. You may choose seven other commanders to accompany you." Percy smiles.

"I choose Mark, Alex, Jyma, Sheyla, Xavier, Shadow, and… Beam." No surprise there. I raise my hand, and Chaos nods at me.

"Where are we going?" Chaos glances at Percy nervously. Chaos nervous? This must be bad.

"You will be going… to Earth." My eyes widen and instantly go to Percy. Although some others come from Earth, Percy is the one who: 1-Has the worst experience from there 2- Is almost uncontrollable when angry. He instantly becomes red, and the whole room begins shaking. I jump from my throne and run over to him. Jyma does too, and our fingers brush as we reach out to Percy at the same time. I blush. I've had a crush on her ever since she came, which is a long, long time. I quickly look away and touch Percy's shoulder. He relaxes a little, although he still looks angry. The room stops shaking, and Percy looks up at Chaos with murderous eyes.

"You…you promised I wouldn't have to go back!" Chaos is obviously pretty scared, but he manages to reply with a calm voice (or almost.)

"Did I? I do not remember saying that." I grimace. Chaos is testing Percy, to see if he'll explode. Luckily, he doesn't.

"Fine," he spits, "but I'm keeping my identity secret." Chaos nods.

"Of course, Percy. And so will your other companions, if they want to."

I finally decide that Percy is under control, and I speak up.

"When will we be leaving, lord Chaos?"

"Early tomorrow morning. Those of you who are going on this mission, pack your things and alert your troops." We nod and go our separate ways. Percy storms off, closely followed by me and the other three Guardians. After a while, we stop, knowing where he is going: the place he always goes when he needs to cool off. After a few words, we each go to our rooms to pack our stuff. After that's done, I stroll over to my troops' training grounds. Sure enough, they're all mostly here. Diabolo, my lieutenant, sees me and jogs over to me from the archery range. He snaps to attention, but I dismiss it with a wave of my hand.

"What did I say 'bout the formalities, man? We've known each other for like, six thousand years! Please start acting like you do when it's only us!" I say, kind of desperately. He grins a little.

"Something you wanna talk to us about, Commander? Another mission?" Man, this guy reads minds. Literally.

"Yes, Diabolo. On Earth, to be exact." I see him pale a little. He comes from Earth, and he obviously hates it there. He was a demigod legacy, grandson of a daughter of Hades. He hates to talk about his past, so I won't talk about it.

"On Earth? What's going on over there…again?"

"Apparently, evil forces are brewing yet again, and we must go prepare them for the battle to come. I'm guessing the actual whacking and bashing won't be for a few years. I know you don't like it, Diabolo, but we have to. You know Earth is one of Chaos's favorites. Plus, Shadow's battalion is also coming… which means Fos is coming." He instantly blushes and glares at me. I smile inwardly at his major crush on Shadow's lieutenant. He has no idea how to tell her. Then again, I'm in the same boat with Jyma. I quickly change the subject.

"Anyways, we're leaving tomorrow morning, so we've got to pack quickly. Could you pass on the word to the battalion? I have to go check on Percy." My lieutenant nods and hurries away, already yelling things to the soldiers near him. I turn and walk away to look for Percy.

**Percy POV**

I storm out of the throne room, unaware of everything around me. My feet automatically take me to my favorite place here: the pool. It's pretty big, but it can't compare to Earth's big bodies of water. I dive in, willing my council clothes to change into swimming trunks. The water surrounds me, calming me, soothing me. I start thinking. I don't want to go back. Maybe if time passed the same there as here, I wouldn't care. _She _wouldn't be there. But time there is much slower than here. And by much slower I mean really, really slower. One thousand years here is only 1 year there. 1 short year. So it's been…5 years since I 'disappeared'. I can't help but wonder how everyone else is doing. Thalia, Nico, Grover, Tyson, Leo, Chiron, Clarisse, the Stolls, the Romans, my mom… I miss them; I know I do, but will I be able to go back without ripping my hood off, revealing my identity? My thoughts shift to the gods. My father… he was always kind to me, even if he wasn't the most attentive dad. I even miss old Dionysus. I shoot out of the water. I will go back. And I'm going to give them a little surprise.

**Time skip (next morning)**

**Mark (Flame) POV**

As I walk out the main doors, my bag slung over my shoulder, I frown a little. I can feel something's going to happen. Nothing bad; just something. When I reach the middle of the front yard, where everyone is supposed to meet, I see that my battalion is already here, along with Beam's, Sheyla's, Alex's, and Percy's. I jog over to the four to find them talking about something.

"Hey, guys! Watcha talkin' about?" I say in my usual cheery voice. Percy looks over at me. There's a malicious glint in his sea-green eyes. I grin. I usually love Percy's plans. They're usually risky and stupid, which makes them perfect for me.

"I got an idea. We're supposed to make them prepared for a big war, right? Chaos said they weren't ready. Let's see just how 'not ready' they are." I nod eagerly, urging my best friend along. He continues. "So, I thought we could make a dramatic entrance. They don't know we're coming to help them. We could fake an attack; you know, barge in through the camp barriers like they aren't there and pretend to be enemies. By doing that, we would not only be able to assess their strength, but we'll also have fun humiliating them! Of course, Chaos doesn't want them dead or incapacitated before the actual war, so we'll try not to actually engage them. Just give them a little scare and show them a fraction of our power." When he finishes, I whistle in admiration. I heard from Percy himself that back on Earth, he was called Seaweed brain and Kelp Head. But he's not that Percy anymore. This Percy is our best warrior, our best commander, and our best strategist. Plus, his plans always have a bit of humor in them. Which is why he is my best friend. I grin, giving him thumbs up.

Soon enough, the others come and we fill them in. They all seem to like that idea, since: 1- They just got new battle armor designs and 2- All of them want to see the gods and campers humiliated. As soon as everyone's here, down to the last soldier, Chaos waves us good-bye and opens up a gigantic portal that engulfs us and teleports us… right outside the camp boundaries.

**Nico POV**

"So, any sign of him?" The lord of the Skies asks to the assembled group of campers, gods, goddesses, satyrs, and nymphs. All he gets is silence. I look down. These meetings are always like this. Sometimes, during "serious" meetings about the mortal world, the gods stray away from the main point and start talking about _him._ Percy Jackson. My cousin, more like a brother to me.

I am sitting on a chair in the amphitheater at Camp Half-Blood. These days, the meetings are held in camp, not up in Olympus. Anyways, as I was saying, we all miss Percy Jackson. A shrill voice interrupts my thoughts.

"This is getting annoying. Why are you still looking for him, it's been 5 years! Plus, you've got me. I'm largely better than that upstart Jackson. You don't need him!"

Oh, right. I forgot. We all miss Percy Jackson… except for Eric, that stupid son of Zeus, and his brain-washed cronies. I fight the urge to lunge at him. He's the reason he left, him and Annabeth. I glare at her, but she doesn't notice me. She's too busy calming Eric down. The meeting is about to start again when Jack, a Hermes camper, comes running towards us. He looks panicked.

"Intruders! There are intruders in the camp!" Chiron stops him.

"What do you mean, my boy?"

"I-I was on border patrol, and then suddenly- this huge army popped in out of nowhere! One second they weren't there, the next they were! They appeared outside the border… I think they're going to try to make their way here!" At his words, my eyes widen, and I grip my sword. All the campers, satyrs, and naiads rush to the hill, while the gods look at each other for a while and flash away, probably to the hill, too. I'm one of the first to get on the hill, and I almost faint when I see what's in front of me. I see similar reactions around me. A huge army, maybe around eight thousand soldiers, march in neat forms, straight towards us. There seems to be eight different sections: I see eight different armor designs on the different sectors. At the head of each section, stands one person, probably the leader. The commander of the entire army, though, is obvious. At the head of the biggest section walks one man. He wears amazing black, gold, and silver armor with a faint sea-green glow. On his waist hangs a wide variety of swords and knives, and on his back, there is a strange-looking quiver full of arrows. In his hand, he holds a beautiful sword and a small silver stone the size of a fist. He walks confidently, and I can tell he's powerful.

Zeus takes a step forwards, raising his master bolt, preparing to attack. I look around me, and everyone is ready to fight, although most seem frightened at the numbers of the approaching army. We look on as it crosses the barrier without even a hint of hesitation. Finally, they stop only a few dozen meters away from us, at the bottom of the hill. The sector commanders detach themselves from their sections and flank their leader. Zeus doesn't hesitate. He raises his master bolt over his head and prepares to unleash a bolt, when Athena stops him.

"Wait, father. We do not know who they are. From what I can see, they are not monsters. We can try to talk." Zeus snorts but lowers his bolt. Athena turns to the army and speaks.

"Hello. I have not seen you before. Who are you, what are you doing here, and what do you want from us?" Three questions in one sentence. Typical. The leader raises his head, covered by his hood and helmet, and merely stares at her for a few seconds, then, without turning, he flicks his hand towards one of his commanders, the one closest to him. That one steps up.

"We are part of the army of Chaos. We-" He's barely started his second sentence when Annabeth decides to open her big mouth.

"Chaos? What do you mean? You can't possibly be talking about Chaos, the creator of the universe and most powerful being ever. Are you crazy? Evoking his name is risky, you know." I hear some campers mumble. I don't know why, but I think these soldiers are really part of Chaos's army. They look skilled enough, anyways. The commander that spoke growls at her from under his helmet.

"Yes, Spawn of Athena, I am talking about that Chaos. And no we are not crazy. And I didn't think he'll mind that I am saying his name. After all, I have said it many times before. Now, may I continue?" Without waiting for an answer, he keeps talking.

"As I was saying, we are part of the army of Chaos. We are here under orders from him to… how did he put it? Annihilate you. Now, if you would kindly drop your weapons and give in, it will be much less painful. What do you say? Easy way or hard way?" As soon as he stops talking, Zeus becomes tomato red and raises his bolt.

"HOW DARE YOU INSULT ME!" As he prepares to hurl it, I hear the commander sigh and mumble "Hard way, then." And he steps back, leaving his leader in front.

Zeus hurls his master bolt at him, the leader who hasn't said a word since he came. Much to Zeus and everybody else on our side's surprise, the leader doesn't even move to duck or run. He simply sheathes his sword with lightning speed and holds out a finger. The bolt flies towards him, and something totally unexpected happens. The bolt kind of gets sucked into the finger and doesn't seem to affect him one bit. He cocks his head sideways, snorts, and, for the first time, speaks.

"Is that your best shot? We did give you a warning." His voice seems familiar… did I meet him on some quest? Who knows. But right now, I have other things to worry about. The Olympians are enraged at being mocked this way. Poseidon calls a huge wave to crash on them, but again, the leader simply puts out a finger, and all that water seems to go into him. After other attempts from other gods, I'm starting to think this is hopeless. But why would Chaos want us destroyed, if that is true? I have no time to linger on that, for the unbeatable leader speaks up.

"I have a deal for you. Choose your best fighter, not a god, to come out and fight any of my soldiers. He or she can choose who he wants to fight. If your champion wins, we'll leave you alone. If my soldier wins, we'll carry on with the original mission. How's that?" The gods seem to realize there's no other choice. Zeus, with his one-track mind, picks his child. No, not Thalia. Eric. I admit he's pretty good at wielding his sword, but he doesn't have a chance against a real, experienced warrior. With an over-confident smile on his face, he strides over to the leader and stops a few meters away from him, keeping his distance.

"So I get to choose?" The leader simply nods. Eric looks among the ranks and finds one. It's a girl, a short, thin girl. Of course he picks someone who he thinks is inferior to him. Of course. The girl walks out of the ranks, and I see some of her fellow soldiers smile. I notice the crest on her chest: dark, with an even darker shape in the middle. Under it, she has another smaller crest, this one rectangular with a single white star. I assume she must be this section's lieutenant. She wears no helmet, so I can see her face perfectly. Hazel hair, very dark brown eyes, long nose, set mouth. She smirks at Eric while he's not looking. I hear a voice from one of the back lines of the army.

"Kick his butt, Fos!" Fos? If I remember my Greek, it means "light." Cool. Fos follows Eric, and immediately the campers and Chaos's soldiers make a make-shift circle. Eric takes out his sword, and so does Fos. Her's isn't beautiful like her leader's, it's simple and plain, although there is a small yellow gem in the middle of the crosspiece. The blade is black, like mine, but I can tell it's not the same metal.

Fos barely has her sword reading when Eric lunges at her, slashing at her head. The soldier dodges behind Eric and smacks the hilt of her sword into his back. He stumbles but regains his balance. He lunges again, this time stabbing at her stomach. She calmly deflects it and disarms him without breaking a sweat. Then, while he's still confused at what just happened, she points her sword at his face… and gives him a small cut, to state that the duel (if it ever was one) is over. Although it is small cut, just deep enough to draw blood, he howls, glares at Fos, and runs to his father. Zeus doesn't really notice him, though. He's to busy looking terrified. Then it hits me. Eric lost. They're going to destroy us. As one, we all look at the leader, who hasn't moved since he gave the challenge. He stares back at us for a while and does something none of us expected. He bursts into laughter. As we stare in confusion at each other, the other soldiers start laughing too, so that the whole army is rolling on their backs soon enough.

When they've finally calmed down, the leader strolls up to Zeus and sticks out his hand. Still confused, Zeus takes it and shakes it nervously, like he expects his hand to be blown up at any second. It doesn't, and the leader lets go of his hand.

"Well, that was quite entertaining. Now, let's get to business, shall we?" At his words, a camper calls out

"So you aren't going to kill us?" The leader seems confused for a moment, and then he chuckles.

"Oh, no. That would completely be against orders." Before we can ask him any more bewildered questions, he continues.

"Everything that just happened was… sort of a test, to see how prepared you all are. You see, we have come to help you, not to destroy you. Lord Chaos sent us here to help you prepare for the war." I frown.

"War?"

He turns to me.

"Yes, war. It is coming, whether you like it or not, and you must be ready for it. Fortunately for you, you still have a year or two left to prepare, and we have been sent here to help you do so, and to help you fight in the battle. Any questions?"

Athena pipes up. What a surprise.

"And why should we trust you? We already know a great evil is rising. But why should we need your help?" There are a few grumbles of agreement from the crowd.

"Because without us, you will have zero chance to survive. And as to why you should trust us, well… because Chaos said so. If you'd like, I can call him here right now, if you want to check." The gods pale at the concept. Athena stutters.

"Um… no thanks. We're fine."

"Really? Alright then. Let's go into the camp, and we'll start the introductions." With those words, he starts walking towards the amphitheater, and his army follows him. As I head there too, I whisper to Thalia:

"How in my father's name are we going to fit all these people in the camp?"

She whispers back

"How do you think, Death Breath? We're just going to have to squeeze. Now shut up and try not to get trampled by this crowd."

**How was it? Please review! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you soooo much guys for the reviews, favorites, and follows! Made my sucky week better! Enjoy and please review!**

**(You should all know by now I do not own PJO) **

**Percy (Genesis) POV**

As I make my way to the amphitheater, memories flood over me. I shut my eyes briefly, willing the tears to stay in. I can feel Mark's concerned gaze from behind me, but I ignore it. Once in the amphitheater, the seven commanders and I stay standing in the middle, while the rest of the army, more than seven thousand soldiers, go sit. There aren't enough seats for the campers and the soldiers at the same time, so Zeus, who had flashed in (too lazy to walk a few hundred meters), flicked his hand and expanded the amphitheater, so that there were more seats. When everyone was settled, the gods join us in the center.

"Now, who are you?" my dear uncle sounds impatient. I smile inwardly. Nothing has changed… Then, realizing everyone is looking at me, I hastily start the introductions.

"As I have told you already, we are part of the army of Chaos. The army is split into 17 battalions, each under the command of a member of the Elemental Council. Each battalion has about a thousand trained soldiers, except for mine, which only has 500 elite warriors. Sitting here in front of you are 8 of those battalions. They can introduce themselves." With those words, I step back and let Mark step up.

"I am Flame, Guardian of fire and flames, commander of the Spark battalion. I am second in command of the army…so don't mess with me." He says all this while grinning, which totally erases the serious, powerful image. He steps back, and I see a few Aphrodite girls trying to burn through his hood to look at his face. I chuckle slightly at that. No chance, girls. His heart is already taken. As soon as Mark steps back, Alex steps up.

"Good morning. I'm Quicksand, Guardian of earth, commander of the Earth battalion. (**I know, real original name.)** I'm one of the four Guardians, if you hadn't figured that our already." He says in a warm voice, and then steps back to let Jyma introduce herself.

"Hello, I'm Breeze, Guardian of Air, commander of the Tornado battalion." Then, it's Sheyla's turn.

"I'm Tempest, Guardian of water. Oh, and I'm also the commander of the Wave battalion. Nice to meet you all!"

When Xavier steps up, I hear a few snickers from the assembled campers. Eric is one of them, and so is Annabeth. But before either of them can say anything, Xavier starts talking.

"I'm Joker, commander of fun and games, and of the Game battalion. Don't make fun of my appearance, or my soldiers', 'cause I'm much older than you. But anyhow, nice to meetya!" He grins, and the girls let out a small "Aww!" at his cute face, that they can see because he wears no hood. Then there are a few grunts of surprise. Shadow just appeared out of nowhere, like he always does.

"I am Shadow, commander of the Dark battalion and commander of shadows and darkness." And he disappears into the shadows once more. He's quickly replaced by his opposite, Beam.

"I'm Beam, commander of the Light battalion and commander of light. Nice to meet you" Finally, it's my turn. I step up again.

"I am Genesis, first in command of Chaos's Army, second in command of the universe, Guardian of Creation, all elements, and anything else you can think of, commander of the Omega battalion, and son of Chaos." At the last few words, there's a collective gasp. Like, a huge one, since even Chaos's soldiers gasped. I hear Mark's voice.

"Since when are you his son?"

**Artemis POV**

"… and son of Chaos." I gasp, along with everyone else. Son of Chaos? Is this boy really that powerful? One of his companions, Flame, I believe, pipes up.

"Since when are you his son?" Hmm… so even they didn't know… or is this _boy_ lying? Said person turns and speaks loud enough for everyone to hear him above the whispers.

"Before I left on this mission, Chaos asked me if I wanted to be his adopted son, heir to the universe. So… I said yes." Silence. Everyone is shock-still. Well, except for one ignorant _boy._

"Ha! You, heir to the universe? Let me laugh! I should be heir to the universe, not you! I'm obviously much better than you! And you look pretty pathetic to me. I bet I could beat you in a matter of seconds!" Of course. This boy has the same ego and attitude as his father, except worse. I'm ashamed he is my half-brother. I scowl, and so does everyone else, except for his little gang of brutes and that treacherous Athena spawn. Genesis only laughs.

"Yes, you're right. A battle between you and me would last a couple of seconds… only, I would be the one to defeat you." He sounds calm, as if Eric's insults didn't affect him at all. On the other hand, my half-brother's face turns tomato-red, and he unsheathes his sword.

"We'll see about that!" He smirks confidently. Genesis laughs again.

"Did you not learn your lesson ten minutes ago? If I remember well, you were beaten quite easily. I would say Fos didn't even try. So I don't think you're good enough to even challenge me." He doesn't say it in a superior tone, just in a flat voice that suggests he is only saying the facts as they are. And he is; we all saw only a fraction of his power earlier, during our confrontation. But Eric doesn't seem to get it; stupid male. Growling, he stalks over to Genesis, sword raised.

"Stop talking and fight me! Or are you too scared?" With those words, he lunges at Genesis, slashing at his stomach… or at least, where it would have been. One moment he was there, the next he wasn't. He had moved so fast, only a blur to our eyes. As Eric stared at him, he cocked his head, still unarmed, and spoke.

"Nighty night, son of Zeus." And he punches Eric in the nose before the demigod can even react to his words. Immediately knocked out, he topples over backwards and nobody moves to catch him, even Annabeth, who's too shocked to move. I look back at Genesis. He shakes his hand a little and starts talking to Flame as if nothing happened. The campers, realizing that the meeting is over, all go back to their activities, although they all shoot the soldiers a nervous glance before doing so.

We, the gods, stay where we are, awkwardly staring at Genesis and his soldiers. Finally, they notice our stares.

"What?" A commander, Breeze, asks. Athena instantly replies.

"Where will you be staying?" Genesis turns around to face her.

"Do not worry; we will take care of it. Now, if you'll excuse me…" He gestures at his friends, and they sprout… wings? from their backs. Wings? Genesis's wings are the biggest and they look amazing. A mix of black, gold, silver, and sea-green. The other's wings are all smaller. Flame's wings are a fiery red; Quicksand's wings are a sandy brown, Breeze's are translucent, Tempest has dark blue ones, Shadow has simple dark grey ones, Beam has glowing white-and-yellow ones, and Joker, the little kid, has white wings with multicolor gleams, and they were adapted to his size. As one, they fly off, probably scouting the area. I hear startled yells from the campers.

The gods split up, either flashing away or staying to supervise their kids. Since my hunters are out hunting and I don't have any kids, I decide to take a walk. I walk past the canoe lake, the mess hall, and the cabins, finally arriving at the edge of the forest. I think back to 5 years ago, when I ran through this place with Aphrodite, Hermes, and my twin. I feel a pang of sadness at the thought. That was the day Perseus disappeared… Perseus, the only decent man to have ever lived… and not bad looking, either…wait. What am I thinking? Scared of what I am thinking, I quickly start running in the woods, towards the beach. As I sit and stare at the sea, I hear a rustling sound from… above me? I look up and give a start. Staring at me from a branch is Genesis, with his…..hink back to 5 years ago, ... ggggggggggggggggggggggg finally arriving iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii wings expanded. He smiles kindly at me. I glare instinctively. Who knew how long this boy had been here? Despite my glare, he continues smiling, somehow retracts his wings, and jumps from the branch, landing right in front of me. We are only separated by less than a meter. Since when do I notice things like this? I'm so absorbed by my thoughts I don't realize he just said something.

"Um…lady Artemis? Hello? Anyone there?" I blink at him.

"Sorry, could you repeat that?" At my words, he grins, and although I can't see his eyes, I can tell they are full of amusement.

"I said, what brings you here, my lady?" I shrug.

"Oh, I was just taking a walk and I ended up here."

"A walk? Looked more of a run to me, my lady. You looked quite in a hurry, too." He teases, making me glare at him again, although it feels nice, talking to someone in a friendly way. Although I only just met him, and he also happens to be Prince of the Universe, I feel comfortable around him, as if I've known him for a pretty long time. I feel this certain pull to him I've only felt with…Perseus. A slight pressure on my right arm snaps me out of my thoughts. Startled, I look down. A hand is wrapped around the base of my shoulder, the thumb lightly rotating on my skin. I shiver at the contact of skin against skin. I stare at the hand's owner. He seems as shocked as I am. Realizing what he's doing, he quickly lets go, and I find myself missing the warmth of his hand. He blushes, or I think he does.

"Uh-uh- I, um…" he utters, scratching the back of his neck. I find myself blushing too, but I quickly regain my composure.

"What exactly do you think you're doing, boy?" He looks down, looking uncomfortable. He shifts from foot to foot; reminding me of a child caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar. I try hard not to smile. It's strange, looking at the heir to the universe embarrassed. After a long moment of hesitation, he answers.

"Um… sorry. Didn't mean to…sorry. Please don't turn me into a jackelope!" Finally, I can't take it. I laugh. He stares. And gives me a nervous smile.

"So…you're not going to turn me into a jackelope?" I laugh even more. Then, suddenly curious, I reach up… and pull his hood.

**How'd you like it? Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**THANK YOU SOO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS,FOLLOWS AND FAVORITES! ILY ;) **

**And sorry for the cliffhanger. **

**I really hesitated on it, whether or not I was going to make Artemis find out so soon. Anyways, here it is!**

**Percy POV**

_Previously on Lost and Found… __**(LOL I've always wanted to do that)**_

_She reaches up, towards my face, and pulls my hood._

She pulls my hood. Forwards. My face leans forwards, only inches away from hers. She whispers.

"Who are you, Genesis? Who are you?" Her face crinkles a little. I fight the urge to close the space between us. I try to act calm and controlled.

"I'll answer your questions… if you let me go." She does, and looks at me expectantly. I sigh in relief. I don't know what would have happened if she had pulled it back. Would it have come off? I don't want to think about it. Noticing she's still staring, I grab her arm and lead her to a tree. We sit on the roots.

"Go ahead, ask me something. I'll answer the best I can." I hope I'm not making a mistake doing this. I feel like I can open up to her, even a little. She hesitates for a few seconds before asking me a question.

"What's your name?" I chuckle. Let's play a little.

"Genesis."

"I mean your real name."

"Genesis." She looks annoyed.

"Fine. Don't answer that. How about this: How long have you been in Chaos's army?"

"Oh, about… 5000 years?" It's true. Just not in this planet. But there is no way I'm telling her that I meant 5000 years in Chaos time. She might start connecting the dots. I don't want my cover to blow so soon.

"Oh… ok." She sounds a little disappointed. I wonder why? "Where were you born?"

I hesitate. Should I tell her? Wouldn't hurt…right? Right.

"Here." She looks surprised.

"Here? Really? Were you a mortal?"

"No, a demigod." I'm going to tell her what I can, maybe drop a few hints here and there, to see if she figures it out.

"Who was your godly parent?" She seems really into this now.

"Sorry… can't tell you that."

"Alright then… last question. How did Chaos find you?" She's almost as bad as Athena, with all her questions.

"I… was going through a really hard time in my life. So I decided to end it, not realizing that I still had great friends and family left. But I guess in the rush of the moment, I could only focus on the… incident. So I was about to end my life when Chaos came out of nowhere and stopped me. He offered to join his army, so I accepted." When I finish my little story, Artemis has a strange look in her eyes. I can't quite figure out what it is. She opens her mouth, about to say something, when the lunch horn blows. She shrugs and stands up. I follow her, stretching my wings to their full extent. With one last look, she flashes away, and I soar away.

When I get to the mess hall, the campers are already there, and I spot a few of my soldiers, including Breeze and Quicksand. They're standing at the edge of the mess hall, looking unsure of where to go. I inwardly face palm. Quickly, I snap my fingers and a few extra tables appear. The soldiers go sit; I notice some have taken their armor off. I head to a random table, where my friends are sitting, and start eating.

I get three pepperoni pizza slices, a blue chocolate chip cookie, and blue soda. I munch on everything slowly, talking at the same time. I take a sip of the blue soda when the devil herself appears.

"What's with the blue food?" Her eyes are narrowed. I try to think of an excuse, when my lieutenant, Deft, saves me.

"Oh, that? It's nothing much. It's just that while we were on a mission on a completely blue planet called Thalassia, we had to eat only blue food. They were good, though. Anyways, when it was time for us to leave, the planet's ruler asked him to remember them always. This is the way he remembers. Blue food. Why do you ask?"

Annabeth shrugs a little and walks away, shooting me suspicious looks.

"Thanks man, I owe you one." I whisper once she's out of earshot.

"No worries, commander. Anyways, I didn't make up the story. Most of it is true." Good old Deft. As my second in command, he knows of my past here.

For the rest of the meal, nothing really interesting happens. I talk with Mark and Alex, and there might have been one or two small food fights. Either way, nothing really happened. A few soldiers come up to me, asking where they should put their stuff. Right. I forgot entirely about the sleeping arrangements. I lead the way to the cabins, followed by the army, and curious campers. I spot some gods along the way. Finally, I stop right in the middle of the u-shaped arrangement. After telling everyone to back off, I raise my hands and concentrate. After a few seconds of awkward silence, there's a loud POP as a huge cabin (or should I say mansion) appears. Its 4 stories high and the walls are just like Chaos's skin: starry black, with planets and orbits floating around.

Ignoring the goggling campers, I open the door and walk in. It's awesome. The inside is well- lit and furnished, and there's even a plasma TV. One by one, the soldiers come in. Somehow, the 7500 people fit. I guess it's expandable from the inside.

I climb to the fourth floor, where the commanders' headquarters are. I locate my room, open the door, and fling myself onto the bed without taking my armor and hood off. My wings surround me, enveloping me in a soft cocoon. Finally, I can rest.

**Eric's POV (Let's get inside the enemy's head)**

I follow the crowd to the cabins, along with Annabeth and my posse, as I like to call them. We're at the back, so I can't see anything. I push through people to get a clear view. Ugh. It's that Genesis commander who humiliated me earlier. He also managed to break my beautiful nose in the process. I'll make him pay for that. He's probably all talk. I'm sure I can beat him.

Genesis raises his arms. He looks ridiculous. I'm tempted to make fun of him, but before I can get a word out, there's a really loud POP. Surprised, I stumble back, and I would have fallen, had it not been for Annabeth. I try to kiss her, but she dodges. Okay, fine. She doesn't want to kiss in public. I mean, what could be the other explanation? She's so lucky I'm her boyfriend, instead of that weakling Percy Jackson. I mean, I'm hot, powerful, awesome, and smart. Who would prefer that coward instead of me? Weirdly enough, everyone seems to miss him, even my father. Well, not me. I say we're all better off without him.

I search for what made the noise. It's not hard. A super cool looking cabin is now standing in the middle of the cabin clump. _I _should have that cabin! I look at my father. He has a jealous look on his face. He's right. Zeus' cabin should be like that! What's so great about Chaos?

The soldiers stream into the cabin. Pretty soon, I'm not squeezed between thousands of people anymore. I stalk off to the Zeus cabin with Annabeth. I have to plan my revenge on Genesis, and Annabeth might have a few ideas. When I'm done with him, that commander will regret ever coming here.

**Breeze (Jyma) POV**

Once in the cabin, Tempest and I go to my room to chat. She's my best friend, since we're the only girls of the Guardians. We tell each other everything, like normal best friends would. She knows about my crush on Flame, and I know about hers. My room's just like the one in Chaos' place, only smaller. I sit on the bed, while Tempest lies on a beanbag chair. We start talking about everything that's happened today, when someone knocks on the door.

Flame's fiery red head pokes in, his red eyes bursting with mischief. Suppressing the flutter in my stomach, I ask the obvious question.

"What's up?" He grins, the wide, crooked grin I fell for a long time ago.

"Percy's sleeping, and we're supposed to train the campers in five minutes. We're gonna wake him up… Chaos style. Wanna join?"

"I don't feel like getting my head blown off today, thank you very much. I'd much rather stay here, safe and sound." Typical Tempest. Well, at the same time, she did get in the infirmary because she woke Percy up at a bad time. I shrug at her. I'm willing to take the risk.

"Fine, I'll go. But you're the one who does it! I want the bucket."

"'Kay. Come on, then! Alex is waiting for us!" With that, he runs off, probably to Percy's room. I wave at Tempest and follow Flame.

In front of Percy's door, Quicksand is waiting for us with a bucket, a camera, and a sword. He hands the bucket to me and the sword to Flame. We open the door and creep inside, where Percy is sleeping in his usual position, his enormous black wings wrapping around him. Flame goes to the bedside, while I stand further in the back, and Quicksand positions himself as far away as possible, against a wall. Flame raises the sword, finds a gap between the two wings, and plunges it into Percy's body.

Our commander's eyes immediately open, and energy surrounds his body. Immediately, Flame removes the sword and I fling the contents of the buckets at Percy. The ice-cold water hits him, but of course, he's dry. His furious expression turns into one of realization, then exaggerated annoyance. He turns to us, obviously trying not to burst out laughing.

"Really, guys? You _know_ I could have disemboweled every one of you without meaning to! This was irresponsible and risky! I expected better from you! Do you realize what consequences there could have been?" At the last word, he doesn't seem able to hold himself and bursts out laughing, and we soon join him, rolling on the floor. Flame manages a few words.

"Your- face- priceless- irresponsible- risky- consequences- nice-one!"

After we're all done laughing our heads off, Flame speaks again.

"But seriously, man. Nice words this time. Although you already used risky."

"Did I? Doesn't matter. Did you get it on camera?"

"Yep!" Quicksand shakes the camera.

"Where did you get the celestial bronze?"

"Armory. They have a bunch there."

"No matter how many times you guys have done this, I still hate the feeling of the sword. It's like a numbing ice-cold sensation! And the cold water doesn't help make matters better."

"At least we didn't use a deadly sword!"

"Yeah, I guess. But why did you wake me, anyways?"

"Oh, right. We're supposed to go train the campers in… 1 minute." All four of us realize what is being implied and rush off to get into our training armor. I alert Tempest. 30 seconds later, we've changed in record time and as one, we run to the arena, where the campers are already waiting. From under my hood, I sigh. This is going to be sooo entertaining. (Note the sarcasm)

**This is more of a filler, so yeah. Please review, and I'll try to update soon. Thanks! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you very very very much for the reviews and favorites! Made me smile :) **

**Thank you, hope you like this! Please R&amp;R! **

**CHAPTER 6**

**Genesis (Percy) POV**

The arena's full of campers when we get there. They notice us and make way. Eventually, we get pushed to the center, everyone's eyes, even the gods', riveted on us. Without hesitation, I start giving off orders.

"Alright, everyone split into eight groups! And mix the cabins up a little! You have five minutes to make the groups. Now MOVE!" The campers snap out of their shock and start grouping up. I can see the gods trying to help, in vain. It's total chaos. (No pun intended.) Finally, after several minutes of mass panic, they form make-shift groups.

"Well, that took some time." I turn towards my companions. "Alright, guys. Pick your group." Mark looks around at the assembled campers, and without thinking, just picks a group, the one that has the Stolls. I smile. He doesn't know what he's in for. Then Alex, then Jyma, then Sheyla, then Shadow, then Beam. Then, my lieutenant, Deft, picks a group. Thalia, who's in the group, looks at me quizzically.

"Aren't you picking a group?" Luckily, I have an answer ready.

"I'll be going around each group, checking on the training, making a few pointers, etc. Moving on…" I look to Xavier, the last one left. Poor kid. His group has Eric and his goons in it. Eric sneers at him, sizing him up.

"What? We're going to be trained by a _6-year old_? Ha, let me laugh. What's he going to teach us? He probably just learned how to _read_!" His goons laugh. Xavier scowls. I just roll my eyes. I know what's coming.

"I am young, that is true; but in souls nobly born, valor does not wait for the number of years." Silence. Then, a nasal voice breaks it.

"Huh?" (Guess who?) says. "What the Hades are you talking about?"

Athena looks at Xavier with a really surprised look. Like everyone who meets him, she's probably wondering how a kid like him knows quotes like that.

"You read Corneille?" Xavier grins at her, his purplish-blue eyes full of amusement.

"Yep! I enjoy Shakespeare, Montesquieu, and Lord Tennyson, also. Although I don't mind a little Moliere once in a while. Really, I'm not picky." Athena's jaw drops to the floor, along with the Athena cabins'. The other campers and gods just look downright confused. They probably never heard of any of those before. I just laugh.

"Although he's the game and fun commander," I explain to them, "Xa- Joker loves reading. And he loves quoting the books he reads." Everyone continues looking quite stunned, until Eric speaks up.

"So what does that weird thing he says mean?" Athena rolls her eyes at him.

"It _means_ exactly what he said. Age doesn't matter when you have worth. Of course, this is a very incomplete definition. One could take hours to-" She's interrupted by none other than me.

"Okay… I think we should start training now. Let's go!"

Everyone splits up, following their respective commanders. I watch them go, while the gods flash to they know where. Soon, I head towards the archery range, where Beam is stationed. I stay at the sidelines, hidden by the shadows, and watch as the campers shoot, with mixed results. Beam seems to have everything under control. Plus, Apollo and Artemis are there, too. Smiling at Artemis's back, I walk towards the group I think will have the most problems. Xavier's.

I spot him demonstrating a disarming technique to the campers. Quietly, I get close enough to hear what's going on.

"And then, give a slight thrust towards your adversary's hilt, like this. Now let's get into pairs so that you can practice!" As Xavier finishes his demonstration, everyone gets into groups of two, except one pompous brat and his so-called friends. Said brat sneers at my friend and opens his big arrogant mouth.

"Are you kidding me? This is way too easy! I knew you 'Chaos soldiers' were all talk! _I _should be the one taking charge here!" I resist the temptation to teleport right in front of his ugly face and punch his lights out. I know Xavier can handle it. But just in case things get messy, I scoot closer to the scene.

Xavier rolls his eyes.

"If you had half of a brain, you would know that to achieve great goals, you must take small steps. But obviously you don't have even half of a brain, so you don't know that."

Eric looks just like he did earlier: confused. I shake my head. Seriously, like, even _I _know that! Even Annabeth, who hasn't said anything, looks at Eric with scorn.

"Kid, you're making no sense."

"Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish."

"Wait, did you just call be dumb?"

Xavier just turns and gives a few pointers to a camper, completely ignoring Eric and his goons. Red-faced, Eric unsheathes his knife and lunges at Xavier.

**Athena POV**

I watch in disbelief as my… half brother lunges at Joker's back with a knife. I came here to watch the child who was well beyond his years. Then again, he claimed to be older than all of us… Too shocked to do anything, I only stare as the point of the knife gets closer and closer to Joker's back. Only centimeters away from the boy's heart, the knife stops. The wielder turns in surprise at the hand that is now clutching his wrist. Annoyed, Eric scowls at the hand's owner.

"Why did you stop me, Annabeth?" My daughter smiles up at her…boyfriend. Ugh. I cannot believe she is dating this… conceited dog. I even preferred Barnacle Beards' son. At least he was decent, although he was too loyal for his own good.

"I couldn't let you kill a child." Joker growls at that. His purplish-blue eyes darken.

"Your age doesn't define your maturity. Plus, you would never be able to kill me in cold blood." Man, I love this kid. Eric obviously doesn't share my amusement. He turns red again, and for a moment I think he's going to attempt to attack Joker again, but my daughter strokes his shoulder lightly, calming him. I try not to hurl. I wish I could disintegrate this presumptuous demigod, but my father would _not_ appreciate it. Like father, like son… Both stuck up, snug, and they both have an enormous ego.

That's when I notice a dark silhouette at the very back of the group. It has folded black wings and all sorts of weapons attached to it. Genesis. Really, he intrigues me. There's something about him… something that tells me I ought to know who he is.

He's looking at Eric and Annabeth, or I think he is. I can't really tell where he's looking, with his hood. Then, he walks off brusquely towards another group of campers. I watch him go. I hope the soldiers will reveal themselves soon. I hate having something just out of reach. Next meeting, I'm going to demand to know who they are, and I'm not taking no for an answer.

**Mark (Flame) POV**

The lunch horn blows just as I'm about to shoot a fireball. My group's supposed to train with our powers today. The ones who don't have powers practiced fighting against demigods with powers. I extinguish my hands and jog over to the mess hall in full armor, wings at full extend.

I go to the Chaos table, where all my friends are already sitting. I squeeze in between Perce and Jyma. Munching on my sandwich, I listen to Beam go on about a camper who accidentally shot another camper in the calf. Although how he managed to shoot someone _behind_ him, I've no idea. We shared ridiculous things that happened. Xavier told us about Eric's little… outburst. We laugh and eat, enjoying the little free time we have. Towards the end of lunch, Zeus and the other gods flash in to the head table, where Chiron is.

"Campers and soldiers! 20 minutes after lunch is finished, there will be a Capture the Flag." Everyone cheers. Perce seems excited, too. "The teams will be: campers and hunters vs. Chaos soldiers! **(BTW, the hunters arrived that morning)**" More cheering. An Athena camper, Malcolm I think, speaks up.

"But that's unfair! There are 8000 soldiers and even if the campers and hunters team up, we're only about three hundred." Percy speaks up.

"We know, only the commanders, their lieutenants and one of their soldiers. Oh, and our… pets will be participating, also."

"But then that's like 24 to three hundred! We'll slaughter you!" An Ares camper, Clarisse, blurts out. I can't help myself. I laugh. Oh, great. Now all the eyes are on _me._

"Don't be so sure, daughter of Ares." I try to get my voice to sound intimidating. I'm not so sure it works. Clarisse shrugs.

"Fine, but you're really underestimating us big time if you think you can win." The campers cheer. I smile at their enthusiasm, but a hateful voice rings out.

"Plus, _I'm_ against you soldiers! You have no chance. I am the greatest hero ever! You'll never win against me!" I growl at my best friend's foe. He isn't much. Greasy dark hair, mismatched beady black eyes, enormous broken nose… plus an enormous ego. He isn't tall, about the same height as the girl who broke Percy's heart. He has some muscles, although they're like chopsticks compared to Percy's. I have no idea what that Annabeth girl sees in him. All I see is a huge glob of narcissism.

At my growl, the son of Zeus smirks.

"Well, it's _true._ And I'll prove that you're all talk during Capture the Flag!" He walks off, hand in hand with Annabeth. I can sense Percy's rage behind me. I hope he won't lose control like last time and blow up a planet. That was NOT fun. Especially since I was right behind him when he did it. Let me just say that being stuck in bed for three months is not entertaining. Anyways, back to the present.

Mostly calmed down, Percy leads us to our cabin to get ready. As I change into my Battle Armor, I notice Percy and a hologram of Chaos arguing heatedly about something. I discard it as an everyday occurrence and grab my red wristband from the table. As I'm about to secure my helm, Percy storms into his room and slams the door. I sigh. Chaos probably told him to do something he didn't want to do. Again. Knowing Perce, he'll want to be left alone for a while, so I finish putting the helm on and knock on Jyma's door. I hear a faint 'Come in!' so I do.

Jyma's putting her armor on and Sheyla's with her, of course. Those two are inseparable. I stare at Jyma. She's in her Light Cavalry Armor, a sign that she'll be riding Aeraki, her wind horse. She catches me in the middle of admiring her soft hair. Blushing furiously, I look away and fiddle with the hilt of my sword Enkav. Looking at me strangely for a while, she goes back to putting her armor on. I resume right where I left off; admiring her big eyes, her slightly upturned nose, her set mouth, her- My thoughts are cut off by a loud banging on the door.

"Hey, commander! The Capture the thingy game is starting in five minutes!" It's Diabolo. I open the door; mutter a 'see you later' to the girls and follow my lieutenant to the cabin door, where Alex, Shadow, Xavier, their lieutenants, and one soldier from each section are already there. Oh, damn! I forgot to pick a soldier. I look wildly at Diabolo. He smiles reassuringly at me.

"Don't worry, commander. I asked Spathe to come.

"Thanks, man. I owe you one. And I told you to stop calling me that." He grins.

"As you wish, commander." I roll my eyes at him. Soon enough, the others come, including a grumpy-looking Percy. I shoot him a concerned look, but he just waves it away, with his 'I'll tell you later' look. Shrugging, I follow the others to the outskirts of the forest, where the campers and hunters are already assembled. Some of them nod at us as we pass, but most keep their gazes fixated on Chiron.

"I see everyone is here. Capture the Flag is simple: get the enemy's flag on your side before the opposing team does the same to you! No killing allowed, as always. Each team has ten minutes to hide their flag and to organize their lines. The gods and I will be watching. No questions? Good. Let's go, then!"

We soldiers run towards the North woods and the campers and hunters head towards Zeus's Fist. Since we've already discussed the plan, everyone goes to their stations. We'll be taking the offensive rather than the defensive. We really don't have defense. I set my hand on fire and burn my wristband. The burned metal drops on the ground and forms the shape of an enormous bear. Eidos is purely made out of the same fire that runs in my blood. He's beautiful, and we're tied together, sort of like an empathy link, but much stronger. I whisper in his ear and he lumbers towards the boundary, burning quite a lot of bushes in the process. Well, that's done. I climb a tree and lean against a branch. Teasing these campers is going to be super fun. A huge grin spreads over my face.

**Artemis POV**

The gods watch as each team hides their flag. The campers and hunters, the team we are for, have hidden it among the branches of a tree, whilst the soldier's was in the middle of a clearing right out in the open. I highly doubt they have left it with no defense, but the clearing seems deserted. It's hard to see through all the trees, but I think I just saw a great big shape made of _fire_ tear through the trees just now. The nymphs are going to be traumatized. That isn't the strangest thing. On the soldier's side, I've spotted highly beautiful and majestic creatures run about. Maybe these were the pets Genesis had talked about earlier. Genesis. If he intrigued me before, now it's driving me crazy. I cannot stop thinking about my encounter with him yesterday. I try to find him in the clump of trees, but he's nowhere to be found. Instead, all I see is a group of a dozen campers trying to move quietly. They're not the best. They've barely crossed the boundary line when a figure jumps out. I can't make out who it is, but it's not Genesis. I can tell from the form that it's a girl. She wears little armor, only protected by a breastplate and a plackart **(the part that protects the stomach)**. On her chest, over her heart, is a sun emblem. Her hood covers her face, and she wields a gleaming white sword.

Without a moment of hesitation, she lunges at the campers, although she is outnumbered 12 to 1. She quickly disarms two campers, hits another with the hilt of her sword, knocks one out, and punches one in the face. In less than twenty seconds, she's disarmed all but two of the campers. I watch in silence, observing that the girl has the speed and agility I require from my Hunters. After the remaining campers are taken care of, she quickly crosses into enemy territory and disappears into the shadows.

I look for something else to look at, scanning the soldiers' side, when a frightened scream penetrates my ears, and coming from the campers' side. As one, we (the gods) turn our heads towards the general direction and hover closer.

The closer we get, the harder it is not to laugh. Well, for me, anyways. My father's face is flushed, and he looks embarrassed and angry, and so does Athena, although she looks more ashamed than angry.

Below us, a fully armored Eric is cowering, looking up in fear at the towering figure standing above him. His right arm is bent at a strange angle, so that he is sprawled awkwardly on the ground. A few meters next to him, Annabeth is being held by the neck against a tree trunk by another figure. But then I see something wrong. I can tell Zeus wants to go help his…son, but it's against the rules and Hera reminds him of it bitterly, looking at Eric in disgust.

I swing my eyes back to the scene below. I realize Eric is lying in a puddle of blood. I recognize the first figure: Genesis. He's dressed in full armor, wings extended. He's obviously shaking from anger. In his hand is a long dagger.

And it's covered in scarlet blood.

**Phew! Done. How was it? Please review ;) Have a good week! **


	7. Chapter 7

**I am so,so,so,so,sooooo sorry for the long wait! I was on vacation, where there was NO WIFI and NO COMPUTER... :( Then I was grounded so I couldn't write. I'm really sorry! Please don't hate! Please review and propose ideas! I'm starting to experience writer's block. Ugh. ****Oh, and disclaimer: I don't own PJO or its characters, only the OCs. **

**Anyways, hope you enjoy!**

**Genesis (Percy) POV**

I transform into a black wolf and stalk towards the camper's side, ears pricked for any unusual sound. Carefully, I bound over a stream and find myself on the camper's side. Without pausing, I run as hard as I can to Zeus's Fist. I sensed a thicker line of defense there. It's either a trap or the flag. Either way, there's going to be some serious butt-kicking. As I approach my destination, a slight whimper pricks my ears.

I follow the sound to see an enormous black shape. Hell hound. What the Hades is a hell hound doing here? I can tell it's not… my hellhound, Mrs. O'Leary. This one is slightly bigger, and it doesn't have Mrs. O'Leary's clumsy affection. Not at all. It's growling at someone I can't see from this spot, and the hell hound's scent is blocking the other scent.

Before I can do anything, a bright glowing figure flashes in front of me, tumbling into the hell hound. In the space of a blink, the hell hound is replaced by golden dust. I sigh in relief, only to be snapped back to attention. The glowing figure suddenly crumples onto its knees. Confused, I turn back into my normal self and quickly get out one of my daggers, ready to throw it at whoever just hurt Beam's pet. Climbing on the top of a nearby tree to let my wings expand to their full might, I notice that the attacker is wearing an orange t-shirt under his or her armor. A camper, a male camper. I frown. The camper must think that the creature that just saved him was intending to harm him.

Hovering just above him, I open a portal above Spitha (Beam's pet) and it engulfs her, leaving a confused camper, his sword hovering awkwardly where Spitha was standing just a second ago. I recognize his sword, and a sudden rage engulfs me. He looks around, but like most people, he doesn't look up. He doesn't even notice my shadow over his head. Stupid guy. I shoot down, arms outstretched. I tackle him, but I had forgotten one small detail: my hand was still holding my dagger. The blade half-buries itself into his side. Eric cries out in pain.

Slumped on the ground, he glares at me from under his helmet and moves to grab his sword, sprawled a meter next to him. I stomp on his hand with the heel of my boot, hard. He yelps and curls into a ball… or as much as he can with me half standing on him. I don't feel like stabbing him again, so I do the next best thing. I yank my dagger out of his side, ignoring his cries of pain and the blood suddenly flowing out. I don't know what came over me. I ignored my conscience, telling me to stop now and just let him tend to his wound alone.

Growling, I punch his ugly nose, and, for good measure, kick him in the… you know. I'm just about to deliver another kick when I hear something rustle behind me. I whip around to see Allass, Xavier's lieutenant, has a camper pinned on a tree. I recognize her immediately. Annabeth. She has a knife clutched in her hands, and her invisibility cap on the ground. Undoubtedly, she was about to stab me, or at least attack me for hurting her boyfriend. I was too engulfed in my rage I hadn't heard her sneaking up on me. I nod at Allass, thanking him silently. Then I turn back to Eric. He looks half-unconscious. I smile grimly. That's when I sense the presence of the gods. I look up. They all have shocked or angry faces, but the one I see first is Artemis's. She looks quite horrified, and her eyes hold shock. I immediately drop the dagger at the sight of her, mentally hitting myself. The last person I wanted to see me in this state was Artemis. They drop down and shrink to human size so that we're the same height.

"WHAT… EXACTLY DO YOU THINK YOU"RE DOING?" I look at Eric's dad calmly in the eyes.

"I'm preventing your worthless son from crippling my friend's pet. I don't _think_ I'm doing anything. But what do you think you're doing, interrupting the game?" Zeus' face turns red. I roll my eyes. This must be the thousandth time since I came back here his face became a chameleon.

"THE GAME IS POSTPONED! HOW DARE YOU HURT MY SON! PREPARE TO DIE, MORTAL!" I just sigh at his stupidity.

"Really? I told you, he was trying to kill my friend's pet! Plus Spitha had just saved his worthless _podex_ from a hellhound! What could I do?" Thunder pants doesn't seem to notice the hellhound part.

"And where is this Pitho now? I don't see him anywhere!" He smiles smugly at me, thinking he won this round.

"It's Spitha, and I sent her away in a portal. I didn't want her to get hurt while I was taking your son down."

"I don't believe you!"

"Then ask Apollo if I'm lying or not." Zeus turns to Apollo, who shrugs.

"He's telling the truth."

"Either way, the game is postponed. You didn't have to stab him! He's lying in a pool of blood!"

"Oh, that was an accident. Sorry." I knew I didn't sound sorry, but there really was nothing Zeus could do. The King of the Gods growls at me.

"You better heal him!" I shrug and make a vague gesture towards the Sun God.

"You've got better healers here. Now, since Capture the game is postponed…" I take my glove off, bring my fingers to my mouth and whistle. In an instant, all of my friends are there, and Xavier is holding the flag, grinning like a madman. Completely discarding the gods, I strike up a conversation with Marc and Alex. From my peripheral vision I can see the campers trickling in, surrounding us and the gods. I choose to ignore them too and continue talking, except I started feeling uncomfortable under all the stares I was getting. So I turn to them.

"What?"

A camper, a son of Hermes and one of Eric's goons, speaks up.

"Why was the damn game postponed? And why's Eric looking like he's dead? And why is that little girl pinning Annabeth to a tree? And why are the gods here? And why-"

"Could you please _shut up_?" I interrupt him. His mouth closes, but he scowls at me. "Your _friend _here did this to himself. His girlfriend tried to kill me. The gods are here because they want to. As for why the game is postponed, ask them."

Then I turn to Zeus.

"If you don't mind, we'll be going to our cabin now."

"Now wait just a second! You can't just go back like nothing happened! I expect a full apology for what you did to my son!"

"I have _every right_ to go back like nothing happened. And I rather think I am not the one who owes the apology. We'll be in our cabin if you need us. Let's go, guys." I lumber off towards the camp, followed by my friends. Zeus yells something at me, but I'm too absorbed in my thoughts I don't make out his words.

**Zeus POV**

This lowly mortal is really starting to get on my nerves. Not only did he humiliate me when he first appeared, but now he's defying me publicly too! I understand he is powerful, but he shouldn't be allowed to be more powerful than I, King of the Gods! He seems to be hiding something, something to do with his identity. Didn't he mention he used to go to this camp? I wonder…

After Genesis leaves with his friends, I approach Athena, who is looking at her daughter, the one who is dating my son. She notices me, and I mutter in her ear.

"Council in twenty minutes. Tell the others." She nods and disappears into the forest without a second glance at me. I sigh in defeat. All of my godly kids seem not to acknowledge me as their father. Or at least, our connection only seems to stretch to titles.

Speaking of godly children, Apollo taps me on the shoulder.

"He'll live, dad. He just has a nasty gash in the side, apart from that; it's just a few bruises and small cuts." I nod at him.

"Why did you have to support that mortal earlier?" He looks surprised at my words.

"Wasn't supporting him. I'm the god of truth; he asked me to assure you he wasn't lying. So I did. My half-brother did start it by attacking a creature that had saved him. Didn't help that his girlfriend then tried to kill the Genesis dude." I nod again and wave him off.

I flash to the cabins, where the campers have gone back. Seeing my daughter, Thalia, I smile. She notices me, looks at my smile, and glares at me. Huh? What did I do wrong? Maybe she does this to all men now, even her own father. Well, that hurt. At least my other child, Eric, seems to like me, or at least respect me.

I look at the sun. Five minutes until the council. I'm going to discuss the matter of these soldiers' identities, especially their leader's. I'm bound to dig up some information, right? Right. I'm the King of everything and I'll get to the bottom of this.

Sheesh, I'm beginning to sound like Athena. Maybe she's rubbing off me.

**Artemis POV**

I must admit I was shocked when I heard Genesis explaining the story. Although I knew he was a warrior, a soldier, I didn't think he would hurt someone weaker than him. But then again, if what he says is true, and my stupid twin says it is, my half-brother deserved it.

As Athena told me, I flash into the throne room of Olympus and take a seat. I'm the last one here. Even my brother is here.

"Here at last, Artemis. I have gathered you here today because of a very serious matter that concerns us all. As the gods, we must be vigilant, aware of everything, etc, etc." My father keeps droning on and on about the duties of an Olympian. I zone out a little. He's never one to get to the point. Finally, after what seems like hours of talking, he spits out his problem.

"I want to know who this Genesis character is, along with his companions." I immediately sit up at Genesis's name. There's a long silence after my father's statement. Seeming to pity him, Hermes raises his hand like he's at school.

"But dad, how?" Athena rolls her eyes.

"It's quite obvious, really. We could spy on them when they are in their cabin; I'm sure they take their hoods off then. Or we could take a more direct approach and force them to reveal themselves."

"I like it! Let's take a vote! Who wants to spy on them?" Hades (who has always been sneaky), Hermes (he's the god of MISCHIEF), Apollo (he's and idiot), Ares (also an idiot), Aphrodite, Demeter, and Hephaestus raise their hands.

"Spying it is!"

"Wait, father!"

"Yes, Athena?"

"This may not be the best plan. The cabin has a high chance of having security measures. Do we really want to risk it?"

"We are GODS! Nothing can keep us out!"

"I still think taking the direct route is wiser."

My father grumbles. "Fine, let's vote again. Who still wants to spy?"

The same hands go up, not including Demeter's and Hephaestus's.

"Alright then, it is decided. When shall we talk to them?"

"We could do it now. No good in waiting." There are nods of agreement, but I'm not one of them. I know Athena is the goddess of wisdom, but I wonder if her judgment is being clouded by her strive to dig up everything. I personally think they should be allowed to keep their identity secret, and let them come in their own time. But the council has decided and I can't do anything about it. So I flash to the camp along with my fellow Olympians.

**Annabeth POV**

Eric finally wakes up. After Genesis almost killed him, we've fed him nectar and ambrosia. He's been out for almost three hours now. I sit by his bedside, in the infirmary. He rubs his beautiful dark eyes (**yeech)** and sits up. Noticing me, he smirks and leans forward. I do the same and we share a kiss, abruptly ended by my friend Piper coming in. Oh, did I say friend? Scratch that. After… Percy ran away five years ago, all of my friends turned away from me. Some, like Jason, Piper, Hazel, or Leo, just avoid and ignore me, but Percy's oldest friends, like Thalia, Nico, Grover, Clarisse, or even the Stoll twins growl and push at me. I gotta admit my friends turning away from me hurt a lot, but at least I had Eric. And it's not like it's _my _fault Percy decided to overreact and take it personally. Gods, I cheat on him with someone and he runs away? It's not my fault he was always off on some quest and that he was wimpy! Plus, Eric's more powerful and good looking. Anyways, I'm getting off track. The point is, it's not my fault Percy left. And that's final.

Piper just looks at me in disgust. I really can't believe they haven't gotten over it. It's been FIVE years!

"Chiron wanted me to tell you that there's a meeting in the amphitheater in five minutes." Then she turns around and leaves, shooting me a wicked glare. I shiver a little, and Eric rubs my arm.

"Let's go, we don't want to be late." I say, and help him up. Outside the infirmary, Eric's friends are there. As soon as we get close, they flank us and we get to the amphitheater, already packed with campers and soldiers alike. Of course, there's a visible separation. The campers and satyrs are seated in the east and north seats, whilst the soldiers occupy the west and south. The gods are in the middle, looking impatient. I smile at my mom, but she doesn't return it. She's apparently 'disappointed' in me because I left Percy. Everyone holds too much of a grudge.

When finally everyone's here, Zeus starts his booming.

"The council agrees that to trust someone, we must know them. But if you don't know someone, you can't trust them. So how are we supposed to trust someone if you don't even know what they look like? It's like they know everything about us and we-" My mother interrupts him, fortunately.

"What he means is, we must at least know what our allies look like to trust them. And we have… allies here who have kept their identities secret."

I can tell where she's going with this. I lean forwards subconsciously, excited. I really want to know who these soldiers are, these soldiers who hurt my boyfriend by ambushing him. I mean, come on, he's too powerful and skilled to be beaten. Plus, Genesis feels familiar.

My mother turns to where Genesis and his friends are seated.

"Soldiers, we would like for you to reveal your identities."

**Thalia POV (I don't know… felt like doing something random.)**

Every single gaze, including mine, is riveted on the Genesis guy. He looks bored and doesn't even bother standing up. His answer rings clearly in everyone's ear.

"No."

Gasps of surprise. I just feel like bursting out laughing at my dad's expression. I barely contain myself. Athena stays calm, although I detect annoyance in her words.

"Let me rephrase that. As the gods, we order you to reveal yourselves."

Genesis does something really unexpected. He laughs. Not just a short laugh. A long, uncontainable, hysterical laugh. When he finally calms down, he faces Athena. I can tell that under his hood, he's trying really hard not to laugh again.

"Order us? Sorry, but I answer to no one but Chaos."

"And we answer to no one but Genesis." The fire guy, Flame, says. Anybody can tell they're all extremely loyal to their leader. But those Guardian guys? They're like 1 mind in 5 bodies (including Gene dude here).

Athena snaps.

"And why, may I ask, are you so intent on keeping your identities secret?"

"No, you may not ask." I can't help it. I snort. Athena glares at me and turns back to the sassy commander. **(Persasassy!)**

"We are the gods and you WILL reveal who you are! Or I'll rip the hoods off of you myself!" There's a shocked silence. Athena doesn't lose her temper very often. Even less than Lady Artemis. Speaking of Lady Artemis, she's been acting strangely lately, especially when Genesis is mentioned. I may be a maiden forever and all that styx, but I can tell when someone's got a crush. Even if that crush is some mysterious guy who doesn't show his face.

Back to the present. Genesis just cocks his head and replies with the same bored tone.

"You can try. But I must warn you that-" A piercing sound interrupts him. Everyone snaps to attention. I keep my attention on Genesis. He seems to concentrate for a moment, and then quickly expands his wings.

"Looks like we have visitors."

**So... how was it? I hope it wasn't too bad. Please review! ;) **


	8. Chapter 8

**(Just a note: in this story, Leo's back in camp with Calypso, but she's away right now)**

**Percy (Genesis) POV**

'Visitors' turned out to be a familiar face. Not necessarily a welcome face, though. When I got to Half-Blood Hill, Hyperion was waiting, flanked by a dozen monsters, just outside the boundary. He must be feeling confident. I snort. He's in for a nasty surprise.

I land right in front of him, and a dracaena starts to spring at me, but she's stopped by Hyperion.

"Behave. That's not our mission." Then he turns to me. "Why, I don't believe we have met. Let me introduce."

"I know exactly who you are, thank you. And I seem to remember we _have_ met. But maybe it was too long ago for your non-existent brain to remember." He growls, I continue. "So I'll refresh your memory. How was life as a maple tree?"

His eyes glow (literally) in realization and fury. He hisses.

"_Jackson?_" I smirk under my hood, lifting it just enough so that he can see my face and hair, but the people behind me can't see anything. He glares at me, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

"What happened to your eyes, Jackson? And _wings_?"

"Let's just say… While you were busy being a tree, I was… shown… my abilities. Now, why are you here?" After scowling at me for a good ten seconds, his sneering mouth opens.

"I have come with a warning. My masters have a message for you… _demigod._" He spits the last word as if it's the worst insult he could come up with. "Our armies are far greater in number and in skill than your campers and gods. Surrender now, give up the fight, let us have the gods… and your _civilization_ will not crumble."

I glance over my shoulder. As expected, everyone (meaning every single soul that was in the amphitheater 5 minutes ago) is watching the exchange intently, and Zeus is making his way here, having forgotten that he's a god and can pop up wherever. I flick my hand, and Shadow, Xavier, and Sheyla move to stop him. With my head still turned towards the camp, I address the waiting goofball.

"Maybe your armies are greater than the campers, or even the gods. But what of _my _armies?"

"Huh?" I roll my eyes, even though he can't see it.

"I seem to remember I've told you this before, but…you titans are as bright as my gym socks." Ignoring his growl, I continue. "Surely you've noticed that we've got a few more people here at camp?" I gesture to where my soldiers are standing.

"You think a few mortals will make a difference? Well, I tried. You have a year. We'll be going now."

"Oh, you're not going anywhere."

"What do you mean, Jackson?" I tilt my head forwards a little, as if I'm about to tell him a secret.

"You know my identity. I can't let you go back." He snarls.

"Now, look here, Jackson-" He's cut off by Riptide going right through his heart- or do titans have hearts? Whatever. I quickly put my sword back in its scabbard before anyone can recognize it, although it's died black. A look of shock crosses Hyperion's face, before being replaced by nothing. His body crumbles, like when Kronos was defeated, and his once- body parts float away.

The monsters lunge at me at once, and I make quick work of them. One especially hungry laistrygonian giant (who reminded me painfully of Joe Bob and Babycakes) manages to give me a small cut on my cheek.

"Styx!" I mutter, and send it back to Tartarus with my double knives. I wipe my blood off with the back of my hand and walk back to where the crowd is gathered. I notice they're looking at me… again.

"What now? Is my hood on fire?" They stare. It feels very familiar. Here we go.

"You-you just killed a titan…? And your blood…it's…yellow?" The camper ends the sentences like they're questions, and I roll my eyes, even though he can't see it.

"Weren't you just here? Is that why you're so shocked? It wasn't much; I just took him by surprise… Oh, and this color is called _bronze_, bud. You've got tons of that here." At everyone's confused look, I develop a little. "When I joined Chaos, I became immortal. But I can still die in battle. It's similar to the Hunters. Except my blood color changed. Satisfied?" The camper nods slowly, unsure of what to do. I decide to play with them a little. See if they still remember me. "Why do you seem so surprised by what just happened? Was this your first time seeing a titan dissolve into nothingness?" There's an uncomfortable silence for a few moments, the veteran campers exchanging glances and the new campers looking at each other excitedly. I assume most of them have heard about the two wars.

Pretending to be genuinely curious, I ask them a (seemingly) innocent question.

"Is that so hard to answer? Sorry if I hit any sore spots or anything." They continue glancing at each other, but Hermes seems to pity me and 'saves' me. (I've always liked that god.)

"Well, you see… about six years ago, there was a second titan war. The demigods of this camp— the ones that were at camp then—fought for Olympus in Manhattan. One of them defeated Hyperion, like you just did, and defeated Kronos." I raise an unseen eyebrow. This is fun, although I do feel bad for doing this to them. My friends are in this crowd, and the ones who were in the war (like Nico, Thalia or Clarisse) look depressed. I feel a sudden urge to rip my hood off and go embrace them. Of course, I can't, and I don't. Instead I open my big, fat mouth again.

"Where is this guy? I'd love to meet him." I mentally hit myself. Why in the name of Chaos did I just say that? Oh well, too late to take it back now. Let's just go with the flow and see where I end up. The best I can hope for is that this doesn't carry me to a fall.

"You…can't. He disappeared a little over a year later, after helping win yet another war. We… don't know where he is." I feign shock at Nico's words, although inside I'm in agony, restraining myself from telling him I'm right here, in front of him.

"Oh, really? What happened?" Nico's eyes glaze over, but he turns his head before I can identify it. His feet shuffle on the ground, and we stay that way until Will Solace saves him.

"He was betrayed by the one he loved the most. So he left." His voice is full of pain, and he looks pointedly at a certain son of Zeus when he says it, but Eric only sneers and looks straight at me. Stupid comment coming in five…four…three…

"Ha! He left because he was weak and was scared of me! Even his girlfriend preferred me; he was too _fragile_ to handle it!" Everyone looks at Eric in either disgust or adoration (in the case of his goons and a few new campers). But before anyone can say anything, Eric is dragged down to the ground by… none other than Leo. My old friend dusts himself off, glaring at Eric, and setting his hand on fire. He bows mockingly at my nemesis and brings the fire close to his face.

"Leo McShizzle, at your service." Then he stalks back towards Jason and Piper, grinning like the madman he is. I look at him for a moment, but Eric is saying something.

"Hey, are you listening to me?"

"Hmm? No. Why should I?" His face goes red. He's starting to look like a mutant tomato.

"Because I'm the best hero ever, and I'm also a leader of this camp!"

"Oh, really? Who gave you that title? I'm assuming it's yourself, or somebody equally stupid." He advances towards me, waving his arm (the one I didn't break) in what he thinks is a threatening manner. Shaking my head at him, I flick my hand, making the air around him throw him back. He flies a few feet, crashing into his dad.

"I've got better things to do than deal with an egotistical demigod." I glance around, searching for a particular face I haven't seen in a while. "Uh, Zeus?" The king of the gods, having helped his son get off him, looks at me with thinly veiled hostility. Wonder what that's about. Maybe it has something to do with his son.

"Yes, Genesis?" I look around again to make sure. Then I look at him in the eyes and ask my question.

"Where's Poseidon?" The moment I ask that question, all the gods suddenly look at their sandals. Finally, Nico's dad answers.

"After Perseus disappeared off the face of the world, my brother started to drift away from us, only attending meetings when absolutely necessary. And the last time we did see him, he was disheveled and exhausted. The only meetings he always attends… they're the ones about Perseus. He truly loved his son." My heart is screaming, trying desperately to make my body teleport to my dad's underground place at once. I try to keep the cry of frustration in. It's unbelievingly hard, keeping your friends and family at arm's length, without them knowing it. I take my frustration out on a nearby training dummy, evaporating it into ashes. Mark looks at the remnants for a few seconds and grins up at me.

"I thought burning stuff was my thing." I smile and punch him lightly on the arm.

"Shut up." He opens his mouth to reply when a finger taps my shoulder. I turn around to see Athena looking down at me. She frowns slightly, and I recognize the look immediately. It's the one… Annabeth… used to have on when she didn't know something and wanted to know it. Before she can demand to know my identity again or pull my hood down, I speak up, annoyance creeping into my voice.

"Will you please stop nagging me? Gosh, you're just as bad as I remember." As soon as I say that, I slap my hand over my mouth and shut my eyes. Athena's eyes widen.

"You were a demigod?" The remaining campers and gods turn when she says that, intent on the conversation. I try to look nonchalant.

"You haven't figured that out already?" Athena's eyes sparkle. I gave her a lead. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

"Who was your godly parent? When did you live here? Did you even go to this camp? What's your real name?" I think she would have rambled on if I hadn't put my hand up.

"I am not at all obliged to answer your questions. The day I decide I want to undergo an interrogation; you'll be the first to know. Good day." She sputters in outrage and surprise, and she doesn't look like she's going to be able to form real words any time soon, so I leave her standing there and join Mark and Alex. Well, I would have. _She_ is barring my way, along with her boyfriend and his zombies. I try not to disintegrate them. Finally, after a few moments of heavy breathing, I manage to growl a word.

"_What?!_" Eric glares at me, and Annabeth looks like she's trying to burn my hood off with her look. This is getting really old. Since they just stay standing there without uttering a single word, I push past them and resume my walk. They don't stop me.

**Annabeth POV**

After the 'talk' with Hyperion, Genesis stalks back to us. And he has _bronze_ blood on his hand. I add another thing to my mental list of info on this guy. I don't have that much right now, but my mother is probably going to continue right where she left off.

Sure enough, after a camper asks a few dumb questions, where we find out he's kind of immortal, my mother starts asking questions again. And Genesis actually lets slip out that he lived here before! And he was demigod. Hmm... I have to get a better look at him. Followed by Eric and his friends, I step in front of Genesis. He scowls and looks like he's concentrating hard. He breathes deeply, then spits out,

"_What?_" I narrow my eyes. Ever since he came here, almost everything about him- voice, way of walking, and some fighting styles remind me of Percy. Of course, I'm not even 50% sure it _is_ Percy. More like 35. I haven't seen his facial features, plus this guy's taller, leaner, and more muscular than Percy. And he's got _wings_. Also, Genesis seems colder, crueler, and more ruthless than Percy was. And finally, he's much, much more powerful than Percy was. Even more powerful than Eric, who's a son of Zeus.

I really wish I could reach up and rip his hood off. I hate this, feeling so close to the answer but not actually being able to reach it. I'm about to step closer to him when he pushes Eric and I away and joins his two friends. Muttering a curse under my breath, I grab my boyfriend's arm and half drag him to the Zeus cabin. My cabin has absolutely no privacy, and these days Malcolm and my other half-siblings haven't been really warm towards me… just like everyone else.

When we step inside his cabin, my heart drops dead. My once best friend is there, lying on her old bunk, staring at a picture. When she notices us, her eyes flash in hatred and she springs up, dropping the picture. She stomps out, intentionally bumping my shoulder with hers. Hard. I yell at her back.

"Come _on,_ Thals, it's been 5 YEARS!" She whips back around so fast I rear back in surprise.

"Don't call me that. You betrayed him, Annabeth. You betrayed him, thus betraying us. As Percy told you all those years ago… Have a nice life with _this_ asshole."

"I _happen_ to be your brother." My boyfriend steps in, taking hold of my hand. Thalia's eyebrows scrunch up, and her fists tighten.

"Percy was more my brother than you ever will be, you prick." With that she stomps to Cabin Eight and slams the door. Feeling slightly nauseous, as I always am when my old friends reject me, I re-enter the cabin and pick up the picture Thalia left. I almost choke. It's from right after the second giant war, when we were still celebrating (we celebrated for a month.) The seven, Nico, Thalia, Calypso, Grover, and Juniper are there, looking like they're having a real good time. At the far left, Frank and Hazel stand arm in arm. Next to them is Nico with a tiny smile on his face, along with Thalia, whose bow is slung over her shoulder and she's giving Leo a noogie. Hephaestus's son is laughing, holding on to Calypso. In the middle, next to Calypso, are Percy and I, Percy giving me a piggy-back ride and me pretending to strangle him. He has an exaggerated tortured look on his face, as if I really am strangling him. Directly next to us are Grover and Calypso, and next to them Jason and Piper. My eyes threaten to water. We all look so happy in this. This was taken exactly two weeks before Percy left. And exactly one week before I started seeing Eric behind Percy's back. I'm so deep in my memories that I don't realize Eric is talking to me.

"Annie? You okay?" I blink and smile at him, giving him a light peck on the cheek.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He glances at the picture I'm holding and frowns.

"Why are you looking at that? You don't…_miss_ him, right?" His eyes flicker. I smile a little and shrug.

"Of course not! But… I do miss my friends." Eric steps closer to me.

"You've got me now. And my friends. We're much better than them, you know?" I nod.

"I know." I stare at his dark eyes for a while, and then I decide to get back on track.

"Let's get back to business, shall we?" At my words, he smirks and nods.

"Let's ruin this guy's life."

**How'd you like it? I think I'm going to get them find out about Percy in the next one or two chapters. And who do you think the "real" enemy should be? Please review and tell me your ideas, because I'm starting to run out of ideas. Thank you! ;)**


	9. Chapter 9

**I FINALLY HAVE THE UPDATE! Gosh, it's been long, hasn't it? Thank you for waiting... I'm sorry. Again. Thankfully, I'll be able to update much more frequently when summer vacation rolls around. YASS! Sorry again, please review...**

**Oh, and in response to a comment I got: **

**To Daap**

**Thanks for the feedback, but next time, could u write in English? I only have a small level of Spanish. But from what I gathered: You're asking if this story has to be Pertemis and if Percy could fall for another girl who isn't Annabeth. **

**So, in response to your question, when I started this fic, I wanted to see how I could start, then see if a Pertemis could work out. The more I got into the story, the more I intended to make this a Pertemis. And, like, I've already put so many Artemis POVs and all so... Sorry if it disappoints you, but I think I'm going to keep it a Pertemis. Thanks again for the feedback, **

**Hope you enjoy this chapter! ;) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO, or its characters, except for the OCs. Everything else belongs to Rick Riordan. **

**Artemis POV**

After having a nice laugh at Athena's humiliation (courtesy of Genesis), I walk back to Cabin Eight. Only about three of my Hunters are there, I greet them and softly close the door to my private room (that appeared when I first walked in.) I lay down on my bed after slowly taking my gear off. I get barely five minutes of rest when someone slams the door to the cabin. I hear a little yelling, so I exit my room to see my lieutenant, Thalia, fuming on her bunk, surrounded by Phoebe, Atlanta and Helen (another Hunter.) She seems to be cursing the Annabeth girl and her girlfriend. I sigh a little and head towards them.

"What's the matter, Thalia?" She glances up at me. All I see in her eyes is absolute anger and sadness.

"Annabeth… she and her boyfriend are absolute scoundrels." I look at her in concern.

"Is this about Percy, Thalia?" She looks down, and that's enough for me. I know Thalia and Percy had a close, brother-sister kind of relationship. After a while, she speaks again.

"She… she doesn't seem to really remember what she did. Or she does, but she thinks it's not that important. She killed my brother and she doesn't seem to care." Her voice shakes a little. I try to find the right words to comfort her, but Phoebe gets there first. She pats her friend's back slowly, looking at her sympathetically.

"He's not dead, Thalia. Hades confirmed that." It's a weak argument, but at least it's something. Percy was, by far, the one boy my Hunters could bear to talk with. Thalia puts her head in her hands.

"What's the point of that? He's nowhere. He's completely disappeared off the face of the world. It's been _five _years, Phoebe. Unless he's in Alaska, which _he isn't_, he's gone. Dead, disappeared… same thing. I'll never see him again."

_I'll never see him again._ Her words echo in my head. Never see him again. Why do I have a feeling I already have? We stay there in silence for a moment, when an amused voice splits it.

"What would you do if you _did_ see him again?" Every single Hunter in the cabin spins towards the voice, bows or knives or pillows raised. A tall, hooded figure steps out, hands raised in surrender. I roll my eyes slightly, lowering Thalia's pillow.

"What are you doing here, Genesis? _How long_ have you been here?" It comes out a little more aggressive than I intended, but he only laughs a little and stretches.

"You haven't answered my question. What would you do if you saw him again?" Thalia growls at him. Why is he trying to provoke her?  
"Why do you ask, I won't see him again. Why imagine useless things?" Genesis cocks his head and opens his mouth again.

"What if I told you he _wasn't_ dead?" Silence. Then Thalia lunges towards him. Caught off guard or on purpose, Genesis tumbles backwards. He quickly regains his balance, and a lopsided grin is visible under his hood.

"Don't you _ever_. Make light of this. Or else you'll be sorry." Thalia hisses at him. Genesis replies with a breathy laugh.

"I'm not making light of anything. I've met him. He misses you guys, too." I look at him, stunned. So does everyone else.

"Uh… did I say something?" Thalia looks like she can't stay standing much longer. She slumps on her bed again.

"What- you're serious? Where is he? Is he in your army? How is he?"

"You remind me of Athena. I… haven't seen him in a while. I don't know if he's in the army of not. There are a lot of soldiers; I can't keep track of all of them. As far as I know, he's not in my or any of the Guardians' army. Last time I saw him… he was fine, I guess." Probably unable to take the silence anymore, Genesis turns and exits the cabin. The rest of us stay frozen. I'm the first one to recover. Glancing back at my shocked Hunters, I rush out of the cabin in pursuit of Genesis. Spotting him close to the canoe lake, I run to him as fast as I can, calling out his name.

"Wait! Genesis!" He turns to face me and waves.

"Hullo, Lady Artemis. What's up?" I stare at him. It's like he forgot what just happened.

"Back in the cabin, you said… you said you'd met Percy." He nods slowly.

"Yes…"

"Were you telling the truth?"

"Of course I was! Do I look like the kind of guy to lie?"

"Well, I don't know, do I, since no one knows what you look like under the hood." He grunts in consent. A small smile appears on his lips.

"Would you like to see what I look like?" I nod eagerly. He laughs and runs away from me, shouting over his shoulder.

"Well, you won't!" After processing what just happened, I scream in frustration. I feel tempted to run after him, but that would be childish. Plus, he's heading straight towards his cabin. Rolling my eyes a little and marveling at how Genesis seems to be serious and mysterious one second and childish and playful the next, I stalk back to Cabin Eight. It's strange, like there are two sides of him straining to come out. Whoever or _whatever_ he is, I like him. Not like _that_. Of course not! …Right? I don't even know anymore. My heart feels like one big wad of confusion.

I change direction and make a beeline to the beach, where the sun will be setting soon enough. Once there, I crouch down at the line where the forest and the beach meet. Breathing in the clear air and enjoying the soft breeze, I let my mind go blank. It can't be impossible to have some peace and quiet in this place, can it? Right on cue, a slight rustling interrupts my meditation of sorts and stops right behind me. A finger pokes my back, none too gently. Recognizing its owner, I groan.

"What do you want?" My brother grins cockily at me and replies instantly.

"Why would I want anything? Maybe I only wanted to watch the setting me and cool down. Why do you automatically assume I'm here just to annoy/bother you?" I glare viciously at him and stand up slowly.

"Don't make me laugh. Seriously, what do you want? You better have a good reason. Or else you're getting another arrow in your head." Still grinning, he ruffles my hair (earning him a punch to the gut).

"Come on, little sis! I'm going to the archery range… are you up for an archery contest?"

"Are you kidding me? You interrupted me for that? And I was born first, you dolt!"

"What's a dolt?"

"Never mind, let's just go."

"Yay!"

**Nico POV**

"Nico! Wait up, man!" I turn at Jason's voice and stop in my tracks.

"What's up, Grace?" I greet my friend as he catches up to me. He grabs my arm none too gently and practically drags me over to… Bunker 9?!

"Will you stop dragging me?" I yell and struggle out of Jason's grip. I rub my arm. "What the Hades, man?" He ignores me completely and slams his hand on the boulder.

"Leo! Open up! It's me!" Slowly, the boulder rolls away to reveal the entrance. I follow Jason reluctantly, still rubbing my arm. After I get used to the dim light, I'm surprised to see the seven (minus Annabeth, of course), Thalia, Grover and Reyna standing there.

"Frank? Hazel? Reyna? What are you guys doing here? When did you come?" Hazel runs up to me and hugs me.

"Hey, Nico! We just came; the rest of Camp Jupiter will be coming later."

"It's nice to see you and all… but why am I here?" Grover looks at me and replies quietly.

"We needed everyone here, Nico. You're one of his oldest friends."

"Who's oldest friend?" I ask, already dreading the answer. Sure enough, the one word the satyr pronounced nearly shattered me.

"Percy." I let the silence wash over me. Finally, I ask reluctantly,

"What about Percy?" Grover stays silent, but Piper answers me.

"Someone claims to have seen him." My head snaps up so quick I wince.

"What? Who?" Thalia, who was silent until now, looks at me straight in the eye.

"Genesis."

"_What?_" My eyes nearly pop out of my head.

"You heard me. I was in cabin 8 with Lady Artemis and a few Hunters after a squabble with Annabeth… then Genesis appeared out of nowhere. He said he'd met Percy… and then he left." Frank is the first to respond.

"So… do you think he's telling the truth?" Thalia shrugs.

"Maybe… he didn't seem to be kidding." I stagger back and sit on a big hunk of metal. It creaks under my weight, but I ignore it. I'm too stunned. Leo speaks for me.

"So what do we do about it?" Our thoughts are interrupted by a loud crash. The metal hunk breaks in half and I topple backwards, my backside hitting the floor none too gently. It takes all my willpower not to cry out.

"Ow…" My friends stare at me for a second, and they burst out laughing. I'm pretty sure I'm redder than a tomato, but eventually I let out a small laugh too. Laughter's contagious. But everyone soon gets serious again (except for Leo). Soon enough, we're back on track. As my friends carry on the conversation, I let my thoughts wander. If that cocky general is telling the truth… how could it be? How could it be that the person we've been searching for 5 years hasn't turned up but has met a complete stranger coming from a different galaxy? (Well, I think they come from a different galaxy. Who knows? I sure don't.) It's too much of a coincidence. Something strange is at work here. And if revealing it means coming closer to finding Percy, than I'm all in. Although I don't have a crush on him anymore, and I've also stopped hero-worshipping him, he's still that big brother I never had. He's family. I just hope, wherever he is, he still thinks of us as that. I've imagined reuniting with my friend many times. In every single one of those fantasies, I hurl myself at him (which, needless to say, is quite unlike me) and attempt to kill him (well, if Thalia didn't get to him first) before grinning and embracing him. Of course, every time I wake up from the fantasias, he's not there. I'm so engulfed in my thoughts I only just realize everyone is looking at me. I blink at them, confused.

"Uh, sorry, what?" Leo rolls his eyes and pretends to look annoyed, but he answers me anyways.

"Beauty Queen here just asked you what you think about all this mess. Do you think the Gene dude was telling the truth?"

"I honestly have no idea what to think anymore. He strikes me as an honest person... I guess."

"Well, then, we'll just have to wait and see." Leo jumps up and flails his hands wildly, shooing us out.

"Alright then! Meeting adjourned! Let's go, people! Hurry along! I've got work to do!" sighing at Leo's antics, I shadow-travel to my cabin. Suddenly feeling a wave of exhaust for some unknown reason, I slump unto my bunk. Of course, when you're a demigod, you only get about five minutes of rest before _somebody_ interrupts you. This time, it was Chris Rodriguez, son of Hermes. I lift my head from my pillow a little. Raising my eyebrow a little to ask what he wants, I sit up reluctantly and lean against the bedpost.

"Uh, Chiron wants us to get to the arena for another training session with the Chaos soldiers." I groan.

"When?" He scratches his head.

"Like, now." I jump out of bed, quickly put my shoes on, and follow Chris out, not forgetting my Stygian iron sword, of course. When we get there, the campers are already split up into groups. Genesis, in the middle of the crowd as usual, notices me and waves me over.

"You can choose your group, but choose wisely. You don't get to choose twice."

I can't help scowling at him.

"Why? Don't we change groups every day anyways?" He looks at me, or I think he does, and I suddenly feel like I've just asked a dumb question. Sure enough, he smirks a little and opens his mouth again.

"No, the groups now aren't going to change anymore. It's very time consuming. So choose one." Shrugging, I quickly glance at the different groups. After a moment of hesitation, I opt for Hazel, Frank, and Reyna's group. Soon enough, each group has gone their different ways, led by a different Chaos general. Mine is to be taught by Quicksand, Guardian of earth.

After a brief introduction, he tells us we'll be practicing hand-to-hand fighting. Sighing, I discard my sword. I hate wrestling. Quicksand shows us a few techniques (most of which we already know) and pairs us up. Hazel gets paired with a Demeter boy, Frank with another Ares boy and Reyna with a Hypnos boy. I get paired with a one of Eric's 'friends', Mike, a preposterous son of Aphrodite who is, unlike his siblings, quite good at fighting. He's got a pretty face: longish, sandy hair with misty green eyes, and a pointed nose. But his arrogance shows in his eyes and he follows Eric around like a puppy. He's got no brains. Still, he's strong, and although I could beat him with a sword, my chances don't seem that big in hand-to-hand. Groaning inwardly, I go into the small circle to fight. This is _so _going to be long.

**-TIME SKIP- 1 YEAR LATER**

I huff in annoyance as my opponent's sword almost gets me. I let my guard down for a second and this is what happens. I quickly retaliate, slamming my blade against his hilt to destabilize him, and then quickly spinning to point the tip of my blade to his chest. He admits defeat, shakes my hand and slinks off to find another opponent.

It's been like this for a year now, this daily routine. We still have fun stuff like Capture the Flag and campfires and such, but the training has gotten so much more intense. Although I must admit everyone has gotten more skilled thanks to the lessons we get from the Chaos soldiers everyday. And our godly parents visit often too to note our progress. I'd like to say we've grown much closer to the soldiers, but in truth, most of us are still kind of scared of them. They keep to themselves, even if I usually see Genesis and his friends hanging out and chilling like normal friends would do. Once, they flew off to who knows where and came back two hours later, splattered with paint and gross-looking slime. I must say, I envied them at that moment.

We haven't gotten many attacks ever since the whole deal with Hyperion, spare a few stray monsters chasing new campers now and then. We haven't gotten as many new campers as we used to for some reason; but not one kid who's tried to come has died… so that's good. Over the year, one daughter of Aphrodite, one daughter of Hypnos, two sons of Hecate, one son of Mars, and two children of Hermes have crossed the boundary line. That son of Mars though; he arrived in Camp Jupiter, and it was deserted, save for the families and a few legionnaires. Poor bloke, he must have been really confused. He eventually found his way here. Most of them, except for two, are under 12, but they still train just as hard as the others. Genesis has everyone, including his own soldiers, pushing themselves to their limit. Sometimes even further. Speaking of Genesis… there he is right now, where I see him often. Near the creek, perched on a tree, gazing at… well, me. In my general direction, anyway. I look around to see if they're here. Yup, they are. The Hunters. For the past year Genesis has been following them with his eyes (if he has any, who knows what's under his hood). I've started to think he has a crush on one of them. I've mentioned it to Thals, but she didn't seem to hear me. She was practicing her archery, so maybe she was just distracted.

Wiping a bead of sweat from my eyebrow, I follow the horn sound to the mess hall. Ever since the Chaos soldiers have come and all the campers have been practically living together, no one really stays in their respective tables anymore. For example, nowadays it's completely normal to see an Apollo camper eating next to a Hypnos camper and facing an Athena camper. Of course, the Chaos soldiers don't mingle. They barely talk to us. After having finished my meal, I yawn and walk back to my cabin. I'm too exhausted for the campfire. I'm just going to sleep. I quickly change into a loose shirt and shorts and let Morpheus take me.

**Genesis (Percy) POV**

This is so annoying. Annabeth and Eric keep on trying to get me to let my identity slip. They just can't let it go, can they? Just five minutes ago they tried to take my hood off while they thought I was distracted. I had to fling them into the creek to get them to get out of my face. I had to endure one year of this, and it's really starting to bother me. I decide to take a quick swim to cool off. Careful not to be followed by anyone, I sneak off to a more secluded part of the beach and dive in (after changing into swim trunks, of course). I shut my eyes and my thoughts wash over me. Familiar faces float in front of my closed eyes. Grover, Nico, Thals, Jason, Leo, Dad, Mom… Oh Styx! MOM! Oh my gods, oh my gods, oh my gods, oh my gods… I totally forgot to… oh my gods… I'm dead. But should I let mom know I'm back? _Of course I should, she's your MOM, kelp head! But no one's supposed to know you're alive! She's your MOM! And she hasn't seen you for SIX YEARS! She's probably heartbroken! _I take a few deep breaths and calm myself. Alright. Alright. Alright. I can do this. I can do this.

**3****rd**** person POV**

Percy zooms out of the water; quickly flashes his clothes and armor back on, spreads his wings, and flies away as fast as he can. Towards Manhattan. Towards his home. He's so flustered he doesn't notice the clear water washing up on the shore, further than it's supposed to, and slowly forming a shape.

**What do you think? Feedback is appreciated, and every one of your reviews makes me smile. Thanks for reading, please review and tell me what you want will happen next! Thanks again! **


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm so sorry! I actually had finished this chapter like 2 weeks ago but I was on a trip... I'm sorry... and I was kinda going through what Dan calls an "existential crisis" (shoutout to you if you know what I'm talking about). But you don't want to hear about my problems. You just want the new chapter. Here you go, hope you like! I just put some family fluff in here coz I felt like it. **

**Genesis (Percy) POV**

Once out of the camp boundaries, I land and fold my wings. Walking over to the main road, I catch a cab and, for the first time in 6 years, go to my mom's apartment. I hesitate for a long time in front of the door, my hand hovering right above the doorbell. _Come on, Percy, you can do this._ Mustering up courage, I press the button. I hear muffled voices. I swear some of them sound very high-pitched and loud for my mom or Paul. Before I can check if it actually is the right house, though, the door opens just a crack. I tilt my head to try and see from the crack. A bright blue eye looks back at me, and disappears as the door shuts loudly. I hear a shout.

"Mommy! Daddy! There's a stranger in front of the door!" I just stand there, blinking in surprise. This must not be the right number. The door opens again. I open my mouth to apologize when I see who it is. Paul and I just stare at each other for what feels like hours. I see shock, disbelief, and underneath that, joy.

"Percy?" He whisper-yells. I manage to utter a few words.

"Hey, Paul…" He blinks at me a few times and beckons me in slowly.

"You better come in…" I do. The smell of cookies hits the roof of my mouth and I keep myself from drooling. Suddenly, two small kids come rushing at me. They stop in front of me, staring at me from their wide eyes. The girl has two long braids parting her brown hair, her big blue eyes full of curiosity. She wears a green shirt, a pink blouse and a purple skirt, her feet bare. Her features look strikingly like my mother, including the kind glow in her eyes. The boy, her brother, stands a little taller than she, his tousled light blond hair looking almost silver in the light, his hazel eyes shining with excitement, his mouth spread into a large grin. He sports a black shirt and white shorts, his hands playing with an action figure. They both look 4 or 5. The girl speaks up, her voice lower than I thought it would be.

"Hi! I'm Mira, who are you?" I open my mouth to respond to her when I hear a loud crash. When I find the source of the noise, all I can do is stare. There is my mom, just as I remember her, wearing a red apron. On the ground is a new batch of cookies, dropped when she entered the living room. Both of us seem unable to speak. Thankfully, the girl speaks up again.

"Mom! This is my new friend! I don't know what his name is, but he's going to tell me!" She looks up at me expectantly. I glance down at her, out of my trance, and my throat finally eases up enough so that I can talk. I look at my mom.

"Hey, mom." Oh, great job, Percy. You haven't seen your mom in six years and you say 'hey'? My mom doesn't seem to care that my words are totally dumb (like they always are). She rushes at me, tears flowing freely from her eyes. I embrace her and try to keep the tears out of my face. When we finally pull back, she looks at me searchingly. Paul helps her sit on the couch so that she doesn't just slump on the ground.

"Percy… you-you haven't aged! But what happened to your eyes? And what are you wearing?" Before I can answer, the little girl interrupts.

"Do you know him? What do you mean he hasn't aged? What do you mean what happened to his eyes? Why did he call you mom?" I can't help but chuckle at her questions. I open my mouth slowly.

"Yes, she knows me… She said that I haven't aged because last time she saw me; I looked exactly the same age as I do now. And my eyes… the last time, my eyes didn't have specks of gold and silver in them. And I called her mom because… she's my mom." Mira wrinkles her nose.

"She's not your mom, she's mine!" Paul steps in.

"Come here, you two. We have a story to tell you." Mira immediately jumps on Paul's lap, but the boy, who's been silent all this time, just stays there. My mom sighs and walks over to him. She takes something from his ear.

"Your hearing aid's run out of battery. I'll go change it." She disappears into a room and comes back moments later with the hearing aid. She puts it back on the boy's ear. The boy smiles.

"All good?" My mom asks him.

"All good!" The boy answers, giving her thumbs up. I was starting to wonder if he could talk.

Mira, obviously impatient, beckons to her brother.

"Hurry up! I want to hear the story!" The boy jumps on Paul's other leg. Paul looks from me to mom.

"I think I'm not the best one to tell this story." My mom smiles at him.

"Alright. Mira, Asher, this is Percy, your brother."

"What?" The boy, Asher, says.

"Yes. My firstborn." Mira turns to Paul.

"But you said we were your first kids!" Paul grins at her.

"You have quite a memory, eh? I wasn't lying when I said that."

"Then how is he our brother?" My mom answers this time.

"He's your half-brother. Percy was born before I met daddy." Asher looks at me with his big eyes.

"Then who's his dad?" I decide to step in.

"My dad is Poseidon." I decide not to mention Chaos just yet.

"Who's that?"

"My dad." I smile at him.

"Where is he?" I glance at mom, who nods at me. Okay, kids, get ready for the shock of your life.

"Somewhere in the Atlantic."

"Where's the Atlantic?" Man, this kid is turning out to be more talkative than I thought.

"It's a sea."

"Your dad is a fish?" I laugh.

"No, he's not. Um, he's the god of the sea."

"What do you mean?

"I mean… he controls stuff like water and horses and all." His eyes widen.

"Cool!" Mom steps in again.

"So, Percy is very strong and goes to a camp for other very strong people. But six years ago, he disappeared."

"Where did he go?" Mom looks at me.

"I don't know." I scratch my head. I'm going to tell her, just not here. I decide to change the subject.

"So… mom. What's new?" She raises and eyebrow at me. Of course she can see what I'm trying to do. But she goes along with it.

"A few months after you disappeared, I was pregnant. Nine months later these two troublemakers came into this world." She ignores the loud 'hey!' from the twins and continues. "Percy, meet your little brother and sister, Mira and Asher."

"Hello, little ones." The boy huffs in indignation.

"We are not little! We're five and three quarters!" Man, these kids are adorable. But right now I need to talk to mom alone. I stare at her and flick my head in the direction of my old room. She nods almost imperceptibly and stands up.

"Paul, could you take the kids out to the park, please?" Paul seems to understand. He lifts the twins up and carries them out of the house. They both wave bye at me. I turn back to my mom.

"They're really cute." Mom smiles, a little sadly.

"Just like you when you were little." Silence. Then she speaks again.

"I named them thinking of you, you know…" I look at her questioningly.

"Mira is short for Miracle. I was truly hoping for a miracle, hoping you would come back, or even call… and Asher means happiness, or abundance. I wanted them both to live a happy, safe life… what I wanted for you." I lower my head, fighting back the tears. I finally manage to form a few words.

"Mom… I'm really sorry… I… I'm sorry." She sighs.

"Its okay, Percy. I know how hard your life is. But imagine what I felt when Nico and Grover and all of your friends came knocking at your door to ask me if I'd seen you. Please just explain what happened, Percy…" I nod.

"Of course. It was just a normal day; I had a date with Annabeth. Then I found her cheating on me." I choke. "I was broken, I ran away. I met someone. Chaos." I decide not to mention my attempt to commit suicide. She doesn't need to know that.

"He offered to stay with him and to come train in his army. He took me to his planet, and somehow I became his army's leader. I trained for five thousand years—that's five earth years—until one day I was forced to come back here to help in another war. We've helped train the campers for a year now. That's why my eyes have changed. It's the power I absorbed when I became prince of the universe. And I haven't aged physically because I'm kind of immortal now. I can change my appearance. And I'm wearing this armor because… well, because it's mandatory when you're preparing for war. And I'm really sorry I didn't visit you even when I came back… I really am." She just looks at me, shocked for a second, and then she jumps into my arms, crying again.

"Oh, Percy… you must have suffered so much…" She wipes her eyes.

"Is there anything else you need to tell me?"

"Uh…yeah. I have wings." She pulls a face one might see when one tells one's parent that one got a tattoo.

"What?!"

"Heheh. I also got them when I got I absorbed the power. I'll show them to you if you'd like…" She looks more excited than I thought she would be, and nods vigorously. Smiling, I walk to the middle of the living room, where there is space, and sprout my wings. They barely fit in the small space, but I manage to turn and look at my mom's awestruck face. I let her admire them, speechless, then I shrink them back into my body (it's not as gross as it sounds) and ponder at what to say.

"So, mom… I have to get going soon; I have to supervise the training sessions. Sorry, I promise I'll visit as soon as I can!" She chuckles but looks slightly disappointed.

"The kids will be disappointed they didn't get to say bye."

"Tell them I'll come back. Bye, mom!" I say as I close the door and hail a taxi. I don't want to take off with my wings in the middle of Manhattan. I'm not sure what mortals would see with the Mist. Maybe a pigeon? Or something like a crow? Either way, I don't want to be seen as a bird.

The taxi driver takes my money and drives away. Grinning, I trudge along the narrow path to the hill. I have something important (and terrifying) to do.

**Poseidon POV**

It can't be. It's impossible. _How_ can it be possible? Did I really just sense my son in the water? As I wade quickly through the ocean, in fluid form, a million questions go through my head. When I get to the shore of camp, I take back my solid form and glance left and right. No sign of anyone. Could I be mistaken? Maybe the breeze carried something from his cabin into the water. But that's not possible; the aura was too fresh and strong. Undoubtedly, it was Percy's aura. My son's aura. My son is back, I am sure of it.

Taking a deep breath, I quickly MM (mind-message) my brother to call for a meeting. He seems reluctant, but when I tell him it's about Percy, his interest seems piked. I collect myself before flashing into the Empire State Building's 600th floor.

My son is back, and I will find him.

**Artemis POV**

"No, Atlanta, you don't _have_ to help. But couldn't you do it?" I say, exasperated, to my stubborn Hunter. She shrugs, her eyes downcast, her arms crossed.

"Alright, my Lady. I'll help." She looks like she wants to say more, but she doesn't. Thank goodness. I move to break up an argument between two other Hunters. I'm getting really, really frustrated. So when my brother announces that there is yet _another_ council meeting, I'm almost happy. Almost. The moment we flash into the throne room, I go to my seat, grumbling. Although I don't fail to notice that Poseidon is actually here for once. He actually looks kind of happy for once. I wonder what this is about. My father starts like he always does, but soon enough he leaves the spotlight to Poseidon.

"I was walking around in my palace when I sensed a powerful aura near the camp. A familiar aura. But when I got there, I didn't see anyone. But I am absolutely sure… the aura was Percy's." There is a moment of silence after he utters the last word. Ares speaks up.

"Wait, you mean, Percy, as in your son Percy?" Poseidon nods.

"The Percy who disappeared six years ago?" My uncle nods again.

"The Percy who-"

"-Yes, Ares, that Percy." I sit in stunned silence, as does everyone else. Before I can prevent it, my mind shifts into deep thoughts mode. Percy's back… for some reason my stomach flips over a few times. It's been six years, yes, and I wasn't that close to him, but he did hold up the sky for me. Well, for Annabeth, mostly, but he took the weight of the sky from me nevertheless. I would never forget that.

_I was trapped; the indescribable weight crushing me. I watched helplessly as my lieutenant fired a volley of arrows at her father, as the girl, Annabeth, writhed on the ground, trying to get free. Before I knew it, the boy, Perseus, was kneeling in front of me. _

_"__The sky," he said. "Give it to me." I didn't even have the energy to widen my eyes or shake my head. I manage to utter a few words or warning. _

_"__No, boy. You don't know what you're asking. It will crush you!" His look of determination didn't change. _

_"__Annabeth took it." I would have screamed in frustration at his stubbornness, but, well, all my concentration was focused on not being crushed. _

_"__She barely survived. She had the spirit of a true huntress. You will not last so long." _

_"__I'll die anyway." He scooted closer. "Give me the weight of the sky!" He didn't wait for my answer. He slashed my chains with his sword and stepped up next to be, holding up his arms, and touched the clouds. I felt part of the weight shift off me. For a moment, we bore the weight together. He was already breathing heavily. Deciding to trust him, I slipped out from under my burden. His knees immediately buckled, his breath knocked out. He began to sink to the ground slowly. I thought he would crash when he finally seemed to steady himself. I only looked back at his pained face once, and then leaped into battle with all of my remaining energy. _

_I was injured, and with a last surge of force I sent him flying straight to Perseus. He had the sense to move out of the way, trapping the titan back in his former prison. The traitor, Luke, was pushed off by an impulsive Thalia, and the hordes of monsters were taken cared of by Annabeth's father. Zoe, my lieutenant, was dying of a poisoned dragon bite. Perseus looked at me. _

_"__Can't you heal her with magic? I mean… you're a goddess." _

_"__Life is a fragile thing, Percy," I was so out of it I forgot to call him Perseus. "If the Fates will the string to be cut, there is little I can do." I looked at his grief-stricken expression. It surprised me how much he cared for Zoe, even though they had only known each other a short time. "But I can try." _

_I tried to set my hand to Zoe's side, but my lieutenant gripped my wrist tightly. She looked into my eyes, and I understood what she wanted. _

_"__Have I… served thee well?" She whispered. _

_"__With great honor. The finest of my attendants." She relaxed._

_"__Rest at last."_

_"__I can try to heal the poison, my brave one." It was an unnecessary offer. I already knew she had been destined to die by a parent's hand. She had always known. She didn't answer. Instead, she took Thalia's hand. I let them say their farewells. She uttered a few words to Perseus next. _

_"__Stars," Zoe whispered. "I can see the stars again, my lady." I couldn't help it. A single tear rolled down my cheek. _

_"__Yes, my brave one. They are beautiful tonight." _

_"__Stars." She repeated. I could see the life slipping out of her eyes. Soon after, her body went still, her eyes fixed on the starry sky. Biting my lip, I cupped my hand over her mouth and uttered the required words. Once I caught the wisp, her body disappeared. _

_I released the silver dust into the sky after blessing it. I looked up after a few seconds. Sure enough, a new constellation was there –a girl with a bow, running across the night sky. _

_After that, I left for Olympus after telling Perseus he had done well for a man. He looked like he wanted to protest, but he retained himself. _

"Artemis?" I snap out of my reverie.

"Huh?"

"You weren't even listening, weren't you?" My father asks with an eyebrow raised.

"No, no I was! I-I agree with Athena." I improvise quickly to mask my black-out. Zeus looks at me a little sideways.

"You agree that we should spy on the Chaos soldiers to see if one of them is Percy? That we should invade their privacy?"

Wait. What? "No!"

"Then why did you say you agreed?" Stupid dad.

"I wasn't listening."

"Well, you should start." I hold back an irritated hiss, and turn to Athena.

"Wait, wasn't it you who said that we shouldn't spy because their security might be extremely tight?" She acknowledges the fact.

"Yes, well, maybe if we just sent a single demigod to earn their trust and get them to unmask themselves, it could work." Most of the gods nod along with her. I decide to butt in.

"But what gives you the idea that Perseus is in the Army?"

"Well, if you had listened earlier, you would know. We'll catch you up later. Now let's vote."

"What if Perseus does not want to be found?" Athena looks at me, clearly annoyed.

"Why wouldn't he? Do you not want to find him?"

"Of course I do!" I might have said that a little too aggressively. I hope no one notices. "But really, out of all of us, the one who should have a say is Poseidon. What does he say about this?" My uncle raises his head.

"I want to find Percy. I really do. I'll do whatever I have to do for it."

"I'll take that as a yes." Athena concludes. Poseidon only nods and slumps back into his seat. Quite disgusted and skeptical, I zone out again. If I remember well, this isn't the first time we've discussed 'spying' on the soldiers. What have we become? I've never been _ashamed _to be a goddess. But there's a first time to everything.

**I swear I'll try to update sooner. Hoped you liked it, please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**WHOO! IT WAS PERSASSY'S BIRTHDAY YESTERDAY! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I'm sorry I took my time... :( Please review they make me happy even the negative ones XD Enjoy**

**Mark (Flame) POV**

I walk around the camp aimlessly, looking for some sort of amusement. As I look around, all I see are orange t-shirts, huddled in groups or jostling each other. Finally I notice two campers walking shoulder to shoulder, talking in hushed voices, heading for the Big House. I recognize them from the numerous training sessions. Jason and Piper, Percy's old friends. Interested, I creep up close behind them morphing my ears into bat ears, using the heightened hearing to listen in.

"Maybe he just wants to send us on a small quest or something."

"I seriously doubt it, Pipes. Chiron mentioned the others would be there. It's nothing small. Plus, I don't think any of us will be going on minor quests anytime soon… they need everyone here."

"You're probably right, Jason, but I just have this feeling we won't like it."

"Let's just get there and see, shall we?"

Keeping my distance, and interested, I follow them as they near the blue barn house. I get a few sideways looks for my big hairy ears, but people leave me alone. When they climb up the stairs and enter, I go to the porch, crouch down under a window, and wait. Unfortunately, all I hear are muffled voices, even when I strain my bat ears. They must be in another room. Possibly with music on. Nevertheless, I stay in my uncomfortable position and twenty minutes later Jason, Piper, Frank, Hazel, Nico and a satyr, Grover, come out, followed by Chiron. Jason and Piper look rather disturbed, Grover just looks sad and doubtful, and scared, but Nico looks downright murderous. They don't notice me as they storm off, but Chiron sure does. As he clears his throat, I look up, face reddening. The centaur raises both eyebrows.

"Sunny afternoon, isn't it?" I decide to humor him. At least he's not yelling. If he were yelling I would probably reassert my authority, but I hate acting arrogant, as does Percy. I nod.

"Very." I catch myself before I say 'sir'. He smiles a little.

"Then what are you doing hiding under a windowsill? Go enjoy the sun, get tanned, do whatever kids do on a sunny day." I just look at him for a while. He keeps on smiling.

"Yes… sir." It seems fitting in this situation, and I wouldn't know how to say anything other than that. Then I stand, and with a quick backward glance, run back to where I came from. I feel his gaze on my back the entire time. It burns me more than the afternoon sun. Gosh, that dude has got to have some sort of x ray eyes or something. I've got to ask Percy if he's always like that. Speaking of Percy, I see him cross the boundaries and run towards the forest, biting his lip. I fight the urge to follow him. Finally I just walk back to the cabin. I've had enough stalking for one day.

**Percy (Genesis) POV**

Once I'm inside boundaries, once I'm in the woods, once I'm up my usual tree, the weight of what I'm about to do washes over me. For the first time in years, I feel absolutely terrified. I scold myself.

"Oh, come, on, Percy! You've defeated thousands of enemies and won thousands of battles and you're scared of talking to a _girl_?!" I groan and put my hand in my hands, chickening out then going back in again and again.

"Come on, Perce. You can do this, you can." Before I can chicken out again, though, I hear a rustle in under me. Quickly checking to see if my hood is up, I look down. I almost fall out of the tree in surprise. What. In. Hades. Not the person I was expecting to see, but still a pretty welcome sight. Ever since I came a year ago, I've avoided my old friends. Now here is Nico Di Angelo, the little brother I never had (well now I do have a brother but that's beside the point), leaning on a tree opposite mine, gazing up at me with unveiled anger. I panic for a moment, what have I done?

"Hello," I say as lightly as I can. He doesn't reply for a moment, only stares at me so intently I think I'll melt. Finally, after a few deep breaths, he calms down enough to utter the 5 words that make me lose my balance and topple over on the ground.

"Is it true you're Percy?" Of course, I land on my feet, my feet making barely a noise against the soft ground.

"What?" Nico sees my obvious discomfort, even though I try to hide it, and his face clears up (or gets even more clouded).

"You are! You are him!" And without giving me a chance to react, he shadow travels close to me and attempts to whip my hood back. But I do react, and catch his wrist, teleporting both of us to the lounge of the Chaos cabin. He doesn't look around; his eyes are riveted on me. His eyes go from anger to vulnerability, the same vulnerability he showed when I first met him.

"Percy?" His voice is soft, hurt, and so vulnerable. That's what breaks me, what makes me crack, what makes me desperate enough to tear my hood off, exposing my face to him. He just stands there for a moment in shock. I see numerous expressions flash across his face. First, shock, then disbelief, then that vulnerability again, then unmistakable grief, and finally, waves and waves of rage. When the fury calms down, what is left was a mix of those 5. I lick my lips nervously, wanting with all my heart to look away, but unable to do so, no matter how hard I try.

Finally, after what seems like an eternity, he clamps his mouth shut and reaches out, and for a moment I think he's going to punch me, but he doesn't. All he does is touch my arm with a ghost-like touch, as if he fears I'll evaporate if he tries to grab me, or that his fingers will pass through me, like a spirit's. When I don't evaporate or get transpierced by his fingers, Nico drops his hand back to his side. We go back into the silence we were in before.

But then Nico regains his composure scowls at me.

"You know I'll tell, right?" I look at him calmly, although inside I'm screaming and panicking.

"I don't think you'd do that, Nico."

"Watch me." He says, his voice trembling ever so slightly. He retreats into a shadow. I wait. Ten seconds later, he reappears.

"Why can't I shadow travel?"

"This whole building is enchanted. You can't shadow-travel, or vapor-travel, in or out of here. Kind of like Hogwarts." Nico ignores my attempt at a lame joke.

"But you teleported us here."

"Well, I did create this place. I think I get some rights." Nico sighs and moves towards the door, but we had both forgotten we were surrounded by soldiers; half a dozen of them, including Mark, bar his way. Nico snarls.

"Move. Or you'll be sorry." But it sounds half-hearted. Mark shrugs nonchalantly.

"No can do, mate." Nico huffs and turns back to me.

"What do you want?"

"For you to promise not to tell."

"I'll promise not to tell… _if _you promise to answer my questions. I'm very, _very_ confused here." I nod. I've been expecting questions. A little relieved to be getting somewhere, I agreed.

"Alright. You've got yourself a deal."

**Nico POV**

Stunned. Shocked. Disbelieving. Astounded. And happy, unbelievably happy. These are all words that describe me right now as I stay frozen on the spot, staring at my old friend. But I'm also furious and grief-stricken. When he promises to answer my questions, excitement joins my flood of emotions. He beckons at me, and I follow him to the flight of stairs. I finally start looking around. It's even better on the inside. I notice we're being followed by Flame, but I don't give it too much thought. Percy leads us to the room at the far end. His room, I assume. It's big and simple enough. And blue. Very, very blue. He slumps on his bed and I just stand there awkwardly. He looks at me.

"You might as well sit, we'll be here awhile." So I do. He speaks again.

"So… what do you want to know?" I stare, still shell-shocked, but manage to say coldly,

"Why didn't you tell me you weren't dead?" My voice breaks slightly. "I thought you were dead…" Percy looks down. I hope he's feeling at least slightly repentant about this. After taking a long breath, he licks his lips and opens his mouth to answer.

"I…I couldn't. After I left, I was taken almost immediately to the palace and got swept up in my duties as Commander. And… I guess… I tried not to even think about Earth."

The moment he utters the last sentence, my face goes pink in anger and hurt. He sees it and bites his lip.

"Did you succeed?" I say softly.

"No. I tried, and failed." I nod internally at his answer. Good. On to the next question.

"What _happened_ to your face…and body?!" He smiles slightly as I look at his ever changing eyes, longer windswept hair, leaner and more muscular body, and wide wings.

"Comes with the powers." He runs a hand through his hair. "Although, I _could _cut my hair." I nod, outwardly this time. I feel a slight pull at my lips as I think of the female campers' reactions if they saw him underneath the hood.

"When are you going to, like, reveal yourself and schist?" He shrugs helplessly.

"I have absolutely no idea… I don't even know if I'm going to."

"What? Of course you will! At least to your friends! And if you don't, they'll figure it our like I did." He doesn't reply. I sigh.

"Tell me everything."

He does. He tells me about how he caught Annabeth cheating on him (although I knew that already), how he tried to kill himself (my breath hitches at that one), how Chaos saved him, how he met the commanders, how he had to train to unlock his powers, and how he was forced to come to Earth. He also tells me some of his more exciting (his words, not mine; I would call them suicidal, but then again, it's Percy) missions. When he finally finishes his story, I tell him what happened while he was gone: the seven and I were made head councilors of the whole camp, even Annabeth, making them all sort of immortal. Zeus tried to convince the council to do the same with Eric, but it didn't pass (thankfully). But there are suspicions that he did it anyway. Everyone is basically shunning Annabeth.

By the time we're both done with our stories, it is already getting dark. Percy leads me out.

"You won't tell anyone?" I roll my eyes at him.

"Yeah. Don't worry. Bye, Perce." I give him an awkward hug. He grins. I glare at him.

"You do not talk of it." He laughs and lets me out after pulling up his hood, just in case. I wave at him one last time and walk to my cabin. I suddenly stop. Oh, no. I forgot to tell Percy about the Big House meeting! How in Hades could I forget that? I run as hard as I can in the direction of the place I just came from, when my path is interrupted. "Nico! Where are you running to?" Annabeth. For once, without Eric and his goons. She says my name like we're still friends.

"None of your business." She frowns.

"Just tell me one thing." I sigh.

"Shoot."

"Why were you in the Chaos cabin?"

**Alex (Quicksand) POV**

After Nico leaves, I notice Mark isn't talking as much as he usually does. Percy notices it too.

"Mark? What's wrong?" He looks at us.

"I overheard a conversation between Jason and Piper. They were talking about some meeting at the Big House. I followed them to the Big House but I couldn't hear anything. They came out with Frank, Hazel, Nico and Grover, and Chiron. Chiron saw me so I ran."

"Any idea what it could be on?"

"Nope…" I step in.

"We should probably be careful about what we do. The gods are very prying." Percy nods in agreement.

"Tell me about it…" I glance at Mark. He nods at me, grinning.

"Hey…Perce? We have to tell you something…" Our friend looks up.

"Yeah?" The other stream inside the lounge, some carrying packages and others blowing on party horns, all of them shouting in unison.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY PERCY!" We rush to his side. His face lights up and he laughs as we tackle him. He actually looks touched.

"Thank you guys! I had forgotten it was my birthday… One forgets after 5001 years." I roll my eyes.

"Only 6 years here, dummy." Mark, unable to contain his energy, shoves the blue cake in Percy's face.

"I made it myself!" Percy doesn't know if he should laugh or not. He does.

"I can see that. You've gotten better." He surveys the disfigured cake, amused.

"Thank you! Who wants first slice?" The room suddenly gets eerily quiet. I chuckle softly. Jyma seems to take pity on him.  
"I will…" Mark grins at her and whoops, cutting her a piece and offering it to her. She looks at it skeptically before taking a bite. We wait for her judgment.

"Not half bad." Mark looks proud at what he counts as praise and looks around at us.

"Alright, who's next?" Percy takes a piece, and soon the others do too. We hoot and make jokes, presenting our gifts to Percy. Most of them are weapons. At the end of the party, the lounge has a pile of neatly stacked weapons of all sorts in its corner. I whistle.

"This is enough to furnish an army." Percy agrees.

"I think that's the point." Mark claps him on the back.

"Happy birthday, mate!" Percy raises and eyebrow at him.

"You did not just call me mate."

"I did! Deal with it." We exchange a few more jokes and pokes, when someone knocks on the door. Percy pulls his hood up, and so do I, and he opens the door. One of Jyma's soldiers stands in the doorstep.

"Oh! Hey, Rios! You missed the party! What held you?" Rios steps inside and hands Percy a piece of paper. He unrolls it and reads it quickly.

"Summoning at the Big House. Apparently they have news on who the enemy is."

**I know, I know, weak ending, I just ugh! I need to update. So from now on my chapters might be shorter but more frequent. Please review :)**


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